
i^'^5 




k5/>j 




)r,ri*.: 


■wu'jj^i,i 1^1,'iirtnminyg^! 


v.irrirCT^ 


aip3.*/^T72ciJ 








Copglrtli?., 


CDRfRIGHT DEPOSm 






^ 

^V.'"'. ■ -.'v' '.'ifi'-vV 4 •-■■.‘^ ■* ■ ' " „ ' . , » ■ 

•- ‘‘i •■' .* * '*». • . , _ ^ 


rv 

A « 


► ^.v 




• ». 

\ \ 


e-** 


*> T- • 





^ :: S'#* 

. i' « -f.* 

, p ^ ' % ' * 

.* *■* .i** * . 


' I 

I • • 


4 • 


’"A'-. ^ .., 


- 


> < 


> 






>-*- * 




. V - 






J. ? 


• I ' * . 


A 


- 


r:{i^ 


r. ^ 


* *• 


••* K 


< ' 




*A‘‘ • ' '-r 

v"i •» >/ 


'•O ' 


' V/ r 

•rT^iy-* 


.4 

•-I ‘ 


■ • • «. 





1 1 


• j I - 

t . 

4’ 


’ ».* * • \ ^ 
A 


1 • « 

. ■# 


. V 


’n^> 


* • t 


^ V - 




« f . 


>A' ' 


*'C 


>• **• 
f ' 



- -- Vf^ 


. *. • . 1 • • . •■ V 

* - 1 •>,..'- 


♦ 

« « ■ 

'“*• " ** 

' •• • ^ 

* . 


•V 

, r . * ‘•^ • » 

u ‘ •j'f 

' ' f. ■ •-. '■• 

.. :i)>.y' . ,* * • ' 

* . 

' 4 '• 





-M 








> 


1 

> 


^4* 




• ^ .• 


V 


r 


/ ' 

tw 


•> 


»> 

’ • 


• i • 

► .' 

V 


r 

• » 




4 , » * ‘ 


''t 


r*». 


■x 


‘/^•w 

r ■ 





iV}- 


T 


* y ' 


<-? A : 


’ y 4 •♦ • , -AL • *“* ' .- 1 . 1 # 25^ ^ 

. ' <^Vi*^y‘Kawr^Syy * »-< ^ 


iT 


-w 


• . . •• • S-. *. 


^%0^ 







SV -^2 ’ -• ■ * * ■- ' 5? 



nj' ••w'.'f • 

M • »'r"ir^V 


I I 


f » 




.. 1 




f' 


. 'Idf 




• v;^ 


■ .yjfe^rV 


• r*- 


: '. -■ i.i • ■ ii*<' V • V^J* .'^ 



*•;?' * • " : 4' 

* Hjr* « • • ; • y 

> 'S’- 4 •• M .' 

p=' ' ^ * 








- .•■ • 7 -1 ^ ■, . 



r 


'Hk j • w 

‘ *r 




' ^ ^ -'V- y- • . > »/ 


*: 




•> !/^ # W 


''V/ • ■: 


* ' 


*'>•%' * • ' 
. ^ ^ ;.* /•• Jt 't 

• *• .* W‘»9^* *'^iA 

✓vi'i ^ •Mt 


* to • *VJ^ 1 -'*^ ■ ;.. -ILi 


'■'^V 

'. -t.^- .t' ' * 




^ W» 





iT 





( 






BEDTIME STORIES 


Jackie and Peetie 
Bow Wow 



HOWARD R. GARIS 

Author of “Sammie and Susie Littletail,” “Johnnie and Billie 
Bushytail,” “Lulu, Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble,” 
“Those Smith Boys,” “Those Smith Boys on the 
Diamond,” “The Island Boys,” etc. 


ILLUSTRATED BY LOUIS WISA 



R. F. FENNO & COMPANY 


1 8 EAST SEVENTEENTH ST, 

NEW YORK 




CHILDREN’S BOOKS 
By HOWARD R. GARIS 
THE BEDTIME STORIES SERIES 
EIGHT COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS 

Price 75 cents each, postpaid 

SAMMIE AND SUSIE LITTLETAIL 
31 Rabbit Stories 

JOHNNIE AND BILLIE BUSHYTAIL 
31 Squirrel Stories 
LULU. ALICE AND JIMMIE 

WIBBLEWOBBLE 
31 Duck Stories 

JACKIE AND PEETIE BOW-WOW 
31 Dog Stories 

Other volumes in preparation 


THE UNCLE WIGGILY SERIES 
EIGHT COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS 
Price 75 cents each, postpaid 

UNCLE WIGGILY’S ADVENTURES 
31 of the Old Gentleman Rabbit Stories 
UNCLE WIGGTLY’S TRAVELS 

31 More Old Gentleman Rabbit Stories 


BOY^S BOOKS 

THOSE SMITH BOYS SERIES 
FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS 
Price 75 cents each, postpaid 

THE SMITH BOYS 

Or, The Mystery of the Thumbless Man 
THOSE SMITH BOYS ON THE DIAMOND 
Or, Nip and Tuck for Victory 

THE- ISLAND BOYS SERIES 
'FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS 
Price 75 cents each, postpaid 
THE ISLAND BOYS 

Or, Fun and Adventures on Lake Modoc 

Other volumes in preparation 




Copyright. 1912 By 
R. F. FENNO & COMPANY 
BEDTIME STORIES— Jackie and Peetie Bow IVew 



gCI.A:5a0762 
Im) / 



JACKIE AND PEETIE 
BOW WOW 


STOKY I 

JACKIE, PEETIE AND THE PUSSY 

Let me see, now; IVe told you quite a few 
stories about rabbits, squirrels and ducks; so, for 
a change, how would you like to hear about two 
tiny puppy dogs, Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow? 
Now, if you'll get nice and comfortable in your 
chair, and don't wiggle too much. I'll begin. 
You see, when you wiggle, it gives me the craw- 
craws, and I can’t think straight. 

Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow lived with their 
papa and mamma, Mr. and Mrs. Bow Wow, 
in a house called a kennel, near where Jimmie 
and Alice and Lulu Wibble wobble had their 
duck pen. It was not far from the homes of 
Sainmie and Susie Littletail, the rabbits, and 
Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, the squirrels, and 
the little puppy dogs used often to play with 
those friends. 


Jackie, Peetie and the Pussy 


One day, oh, I guess it was just before the 
Fourth of July, or, maybe, around Decoration 
Day, Jackie and Peetie walked out of the ken- 
nel and started oiF in search of an adventure. 
You know an adventure is something that hap- 
pens to you, whether you want it or not. Some- 
times they are good, and sometimes bad; the 
adventures I mean, and sometimes they happen 
when you’re not at all ready for them. That’s 
the way it was with Jackie and Peetie. The 
little puppy dogs couldn’t walk very well, they 
were so small, but they did the best they could. 

Jackie was all black, with a white spot on 
the end of his stubby nose, and Peetie was all 
white, with a black spot on the end of his cold 
nose. That’s the only way you can tell them 
apart, so I hope you’ll remember it. 

“Where shall we go?” asked Peetie, as he 
stumbled over a stone and fell down in a lump. 

“We won’t be able to go very far, if you 
tumble around like that,” objected his brother. 
And just then if Jackie himself didn’t fall over 
a piece of dirt, and he turned a complete 
somersault. 

“There!” cried Peetie. “Who’s falling now?” 

“Well, I guess I did,” admitted Jackie, which 
shows that you should always be careful about 
what you say when you’re walking. 

10 


Jackie, Peetie and the Pussy 


‘‘Let’s look for a nice boot to get hold of and 
pull,” suggested Peetie. 

“I’d rather have a nice bone,” declared Jackie. 
So they hunted around, sniffing here and sniff- 
ing there, and in the other place, for a nice, juicy 
bone, but they couldn’t find any. And they 
couldn’t even find a boot to pull on, to sharpen 
their teeth and make their jaws strong. So they 
went on, and on, and on, through the woods, 
and over the fields, hoping they would soon meet 
with an adventure. And they did, in about a 
minute. 

They hadn’t gone on much farther, and Jackie 
had only tumbled down eleven times, and Peetie 
ten, when, just as they came from behind a 
stump, whom should they see standing in front 
of them but a big cat, with sharp teeth and long 
claws. Now it’s a funny thing, but cats and 
puppy dogs don’t seem to get along well to- 
gether. So, as soon as Jackie and Peetie saw 
this cat, they began to growl, and the cat made 
her tail big, and made her hair stand up, and 
rounded up her back, almost like a hoop. And 
she made a funny noise, like steam coming out 
of the radiator. 

“There’s a cat; let’s bite her!” cried Jackie. 

“All right,” agreed Peetie. But the cat didn’t 
look as if she wanted to be bitten. She seemed 

11 


Jackie, Peetie and the Pussy 


real savage, and as if she would bite the puppy 
dogs instead of letting them bite her. Peetie 
and Jackie stood looking at her. They had to 
put their feet wide apart to keep from wobbling 
from side to side, and each held one ear up, and 
the other ear down, and they tilted their heads 
like looking glasses, and opened their eyes as 
wide as ever they could. 

‘'Did you say you were going to bite me?” 
asked the cat, making her tail bigger than ever. 

“We were going to,” answered Peetie. “Dogs 
always bite cats, you know.” 

“And cats always scratch dogs,” said the 
pussy quickly. “So there! Do you want me 
to scratch you?” 

“No,” answered Jackie, “I don’t believe we 
do. Would you scratch us very hard?” 

“I should feel obliged to scratch you very 
hard; very hard, indeed,” answered the cat, 
slowly, sticking out her claws, accidental-like. 

“Then, perhaps, we hadn’t better bite you,” 
remarked Peetie, thoughtfully. “Do dogs al- 
ways have to bite cats, Jackie?” he asked his 
brother. 

“Well, I’ve always heard so,” answered 
Jackie. 

“Maybe it’s only bad dogs that bite cats,” 
12 


Jackie, Peetie and the Pussy- 


suggested the pussy, and her tail wasn’t quite 
so big now. 

“That’s it!” cried Peetie. “And we’re not bad 
dogs, so we won’t bite you.” 

“I’m glad of that,” replied the cat. “Then 
I won’t scratch you,” and her tail shrank away 
down and her fur was straight again. “Let’s 
be friends,” she suggested. 

“All right, we will,” agreed Jackie. “But we 
were looking for an adventure.” 

“I can show you one,” said the pussy. “Did 
you ever see any dear little kitty-cats?” 

“No,” replied Peetie. “I never did.” And 
Jackie hadn’t either. 

“I will show you mine,” went on the cat, 
“and you can call that an adventure.” So she 
led them through the woods, and this time Peetie 
fell down only seven times, and Jackie only six 
times, which was doing pretty well. In a little 
while they came to where five dear little kittens 
were all cuddled up in a nest, and, oh, how glad 
those kitties were when their mother came back. 
The puppy dogs looked at them, spreading their 
legs wide apart, so as not to wobble, and the 
puppies blinked their eyes. 

“They are fine adventures,” declared Jackie, 
at last. 


18 


Jackie, Peetie and the Pussy 


“Very fine adventures, indeed,” agreed Peetie. 
“I’m glad we didn’t bite you, Mrs. Cat.” 

“And I’m glad I didn’t scratch you,” she an- 
swered. “Come and see me again, some day.” 
So the puppy dogs said they would, and they 
went home, and on their way Peetie fell down 
only three times, and Jackie only four times. 
They didn’t get hurt, and their mamma had a 
nice bone for them in the kennel. Now, in case 
I don’t break my glasses by dropping them into 
my bread and milk. I’ll tell you tomorrow night 
about how Jackie got stuck in a boot. 


STORY II 


JACKIE IN A BOOTLEG 

Jackie Bow Wow tumbled out of the nice, 
warm corner of the kennel, where he had been 
sleeping beside his mamma. The little puppy 
dog spread his legs wide apart, to keep from 
falling over, opened his big, brown eyes, cocked 
up his ears, and wondered what had happened. 
Then, as he heard his brother Peetie laughing, 
he knew what had made him tumble out of the 
warm straw in the kennel. Peetie had pushed 
him out, and had awakened Jackie from a nice 
sleep. 

“What did you do that for?” asked Jackie, 
and he growled just the least bit at his brother. 

“Oh, it’s time to get up,” answered Peetie. 
“Mr. Cock A. Doodle, the rooster, has crowed 
the 7 o’clock crow, and it’s time for breakfast.” 

“I was just having a nice dream,” went on 
Jackie. “I dreamed I had found a dandy, juicy 
bone. Then you had to go and push me out!’^ 

“Oh, well,” began Peetie, but he didn’t know 

15 


Jackie in a Bootleg 


what he could say, and Jackie was just getting 
ready to run at him, and maybe upset him, and 
make him turn a somersault; maybe, but of 
course I can’t say for sure; when, all of a sud- 
den, Mrs. Bow Wow, the puppy dogs’ mother, 
called : 

“Come to breakfast, Peetie and Jackie. 
Hurry, before it gets cold.” 

So they tumbled over each other around the 
corner of the kennel, just as Mr. Doodle, the 
big rooster, was crowing the half -past seven 
crow, and if there wasn’t a nice basinful of 
warm meat and bread and potatoes. 

Oh! it was the finest breakfast the puppy 
dogs had ever eaten, and they just stuck their 
heads down into it, Peetie with the black spot 
on his nose, and Jackie with the white spot on 
his nose; and there they stood, eating away, 
their mamma watching them, and telling them 
to be nice puppy dogs, and not to crowd, not to 
eat too fast, not to spill their food and to be 
sure to clean their faces off with their red 
tongues when they had finished. 

“Well, what shall we do now?” asked Peetie, 
after breakfast. 

“Let’s go over and play with Sammie Little- 
tail,” suggested his brother. 

16 


Jackie in a Bootleg 


“Oh, it’s too far through the woods. Let’s 
play hide and seek,” said Peetie. 

“All right, I will if you let me hide first,” an- 
swered Jackie, and Peetie said he would. If 
J ackie had known what was going to happen to 
him, perhaps he wouldn’t have been so ready to 
go hide, but you know we never can tell what is 
going to happen in this world, no matter how 
long we go to school. Maybe it’s a good thing. 
So Peetie hid his face between his paws, and 
be began to coimt this way: “Bow, wow, wow! 
Bow, wow, wow! Are you ready? I’m coming 
anyhow.” 

Of course, as soon as Peetie began to count, 
Jackie ran off to hide. First he thought he 
would hide in the kennel, and then he knew 
Peetie would find him there. Then he thought 
he would get under the pile of wood, but he re- 
membered that he had hidden in that place once 
before, so he didn’t go there this time. 

Then, all of a sudden, Jackie saw a big rubber 
boot that some one had thrown away. It had 
a hole in the toe, but otherwise it was all right. 
It was just behind the kennel-house. 

“That will be a fine place to hide,” thought 
Jackie, and then he ran right inside the leg of 
the boot, before Peetie had counted up to twenty- 
five bow-wows, and had started to find him. 

17 


Jackie in a Bootleg 


Well, Jackie kept as still as two little baby 
mice when they know the cat is after them. The 
puppy dog was well hidden in the boot, and he 
kept wiggling farther and farther in until, 
pretty soon, he was away down in the foot part, 
and he could look out of the little hole in the toe. 
Then he could see Peetie hunting for him. And 
Peetie looked everywhere. He looked in the 
kennel, and by the wood pile, and behind the 
apple tree and in the chicken yard, and in the 
duck pen, and goodness knows where he didn’t 
look; but he couldn’t find Jackie anywhere. 

And, all the while, Jackie was safely hidden 
in the old rubber boot, and he was laughing as 
hard as he could because his brother couldn’t 
find him. You see, Peetie never thought of 
looking in the boot. 

Then, when Peetie went some distance off, 
to see if Jackie was hiding in the rain-water 
barrel, Jackie thought that would be a good 
chance to run in home and not be caught. So 
he started to go, but a terrible thing happened! 
He found that he couldn’t turn around inside 
the boot to run out! There he was, stuck fast 
in the leg of the boot, and the hole in the toe 
wasn’t big enough for him to crawl through. 
He turned and he twisted, and he wiggled, and 
he woggled, and he scrambled, and he fozzled 
18 


Jackie in a Bootleg 


all around, but he couldn’t get loose. Oh, 
wasn’t it terrible! Well, finally he got so fright- 
ened that he called out: 

“Here I am, Peetie! I’ll be it, if you’ll only 
help me get out of the boot! Here I am!” 

Then Peetie ran back, and when he heard 
where his brother was, (for he couldn’t see him, 
you know,) he, too, was frightened. 

“I’ll help you out, Jackie,” cried Peetie, and 
he began to gnaw the boot with his teeth, think- 
ing he could chew a hole in it. But goodness 
sakes alive. You know what a rubber boot is! 
It’s just hke gum to chew, so soft and springy; 
and no matter how hard Peetie chewed, he 
couldn’t make a hole big enough for Jackie to 
get out. Then Peetie tried to scratch a hole in 
the boot, from the outside and he couldn’t, and 
Jackie tried to scratch one from the inside, and 
he couldn’t. 

“Oh!” cried Jackie, “I’ll never get out! 
Never, never!” 

“Yes you will,” exclaimed his brother. “I’ll 
run and tell papa.” So Peetie ran and told Mr. 
Bow Wow where Jackie was. Mr. Bow Wow 
hadn’t gone to work yet, so he hurried as fast 
as he could, to where the little puppy dog was 
stuck in the bootleg. Then, with three great big 
bites from his strong teeth Mr. Bow Wow bit 
19 


Jackie in a Bootleg 


a big hole in the boot, and J ackie came tumbling 
out, safe and sound. 

“Oh!’’ he sighed. “It was terrible hot in 
there. Terrible!” 

“Well, don’t hide in a place like that again,” 
said his papa, and Jackie promised that he 
wouldn’t. Now in case you sleep on top of the 
bed, and don’t crawl under it to look for the 
pussycat. I’ll tell you tomorrow night about 
Peetie and the turkey gobbler. 


20 


STORY III 


PEETIE AND THE TURKEY GOBBLER 

One upon a time it happened that Mr. and 
Mrs. Bow Wow went away from home on a 
visit, leaving Jackie and Peetie, the little puppy 
dogs, all alone. Their mamma had put some 
good things for them to eat in one corner of the 
kennel, and had told them to be good until she 
came back, and they both had promised that 
they would. But it only goes to show that, try 
as hard as you can to be good, sometimes some- 
thing happens. Something happened to Peetie 
and Jackie, and I’m going to tell you about it, 
because I hope you all slept very well last night, 
and will again tonight. 

Well, when Mr. and Mrs. Bow Wow had got- 
ten on the trolley car, to go see a second cousin 
of Mrs. Bow Wow’s, Jackie said to Peetie: 

“Let’s have some fun.” 

“All right,” agreed Peetie. “What shall we 
do?” 

“Let’s go off on a long walk,” proposed 
21 


Peetie and the Turkey Gobbler 


Jackie. “Our legs are stronger now, and I 
don’t wobble so much when I stand up. Neither 
do you.” 

“That’s right,” agreed his brother. “And we 
don’t tumble down so much when we run, either. 
Look at me,” and he ran up and down in front 
of the kennel-house, holding his little nose with 
the black spot on it, as high as he could. Well, 
wasn’t it too bad? Peetie stumbled over a bread 
crust, and went down ker-flop! But, of course, 
that didn’t count for they hadn’t really started 
yet, and he got up as quickly as he could. “Did 
you put that crust there?” he asked Jackie. 

“No,” answered Jackie, “I didn’t. But I’ll 
eat it up, to get it out of the way,” which he did, 
as quickly as you can crack open a peanut and 
take out the inside. 

“I guess we are strong enough to take a long 
walk,” said Peetie, after he had rubbed his black 
spotted nose up against the side of the kennel 
“We’ll take our lunch, go off in the woods, and 
maybe we’ll meet with an adventure, like the 
day when we saw the kittie cats.” 

So they wrapped up in a paper the lunch their 
mamma had left for them and started off. 
Well, the first thing that happened was that 
J ackie fell down. Right down he fell in a pud- 
dle of water, and, of course, he got all wet. 

22 


Peetie and the Turkey Gobbler 


‘‘Oh, that’s too bad!” cried Peetie. “I’m so 
sorry for you,” and he helped his brother dry 
himself on some oak leaves. 

Then they went on a little farther, and good- 
ness, land sakes, floppsy-dubbs ! if Peetie also 
didn’t stumble and fall. And the worst part of 
it is that he dropped the bundle of lunch, and 
it went ker-splash, ker-splosh into another pud- 
dle of water; not the one Jackie fell in, though, 
but another. 

“There!” cried Jackie. “The lunch is all 
spoiled.” 

“Maybe it’s not all spoiled,” suggested Peetie, 
as he got a long stick and fished it out. “Let’s 
look.” So they looked, but, dear me! Well, 
you know what happens when you drop bread 
in water. It all gets soaked up, doesn’t it? All 
soft and soaky and slippery and sloppery. Well, 
that’s just how it was this time. 

“Oh! I guess we don’t need any lunch,” said 
Peetie, after a bit. “I’m not very hungry, and 
maybe we’ll find something to eat when we have 
an adventure, or when something happens.” So 
they left the soaked bread for the birds to eat 
and went on. 

On, and on, and on they went, and Jackie fell 
down two times, and Peetie three times, but one 
of those falls didn’t count, because a cobweb got 
23 


Peetie and the Turkey Gobbler 


in Peetie’s eye and blinded him. The little 
puppy dogs looked all about for something to 
happen, but nothing did, and they began to get 
tired and hungry. Then, all at once, just as 
they were coming out of the woods to where 
there was a big field, they saw a great bird, al- 
most as large as an eagle strutting about; only 
it wasn’t an eagle. 

“What’s that?” cried Peetie. 

“That’s a turkey gobbler,” answered Jackie. 
“I know, for they once had one at the place 
where we live, only he disappeared just before 
Thanksgiving and I haven’t seen him since.” 

“Maybe this is that one,” suggested Peetie. 
“Perhaps he came back.” 

“No,” answered Jackie. “This is a bigger 
one. The one I saw was eaten up, I guess.” 

“Well, whoever he is, this one seems to be 
eating something,” went on Peetie, “and I’m 
going to ask him for some. I’m awful hungry.” 

“Aren’t you afraid?” inquired Jackie. 

“What? Me afraid of a turkey gobbler?” 
Peetie wanted to know. “I guess not! You stay 
here, Jackie, and I’ll go right up, and get some- 
thing to eat for both of us.” 

So J ackie stayed behind a big tree, and Peetie 
wobbled up, as straight as he could to the turkey 
gobbler, and the little puppy dog only fell down 
24 


Peetie and the Turkey Gobbler 


once, but that was because he stepped on a sharp 
stone, so that didn’t count. 

“Will you please give me and my brother 
something to eat?” Peetie asked of the big bird. 

“Gobble-obble-obble-obble!” cried the turkey, 
for he wasn’t feeling very well at that moment. 
“Gobble-obble-obble,” he went on, which means 
“no” with your fingers crossed, and that’s a very 
particular kind of a “no,” indeed. 

Then the turkey gobbler got real angry be- 
cause Peetie stood there looking at him and at 
the nice things the gobbler was eating, and that 
big bird just puffed out his chest, and he let 
down his wings and he rushed right at Peetie, 
crying: “Gobble-obble-obble-obble!” as hard as 
he could. 

But do you s’pose Peetie was afraid? Not a 
bit of it! He just stood still, and crouched 
down, and he was so little that the turkey gob- 
bler walked right over him without stepping on 
him, and that bird’s wings were spread out so, 
all around on the ground like a little feathery 
tent, that the small puppy dog was completely 
hidden under them, and the turkey gobbler 
couldn’t see Peetie at all. 

Well, you can just imagine how surprised that 
bird was. He said “Gobble-obble-obble,” so 
many times that he had to sneeze. And he looked 
25 


Peetie and the Turkey Gobbler 


all around for Peetie, but of course he couldn’t 
see him, for the turkey’s own feathery wings were 
still hiding the doggie. 

Then Jackie got alarmed, because, when he 
couldn’t see Peetie, he thought the turkey gob- 
bler had eaten up his little brother, and he 
rushed out from the woods, right at the gobbler. 
And Jackie barked as hard as he could, and 
nipped at the turkey’s legs, until the big bird was 
so frightened that he ran away, gobbling as hard 
as he could gobble. 

Then of course, as soon as he raised his wings, 
there was Peetie, not hurt a bit, only surprised- 
like. 

“Come on, run!” cried Jackie. “This is a ter- 
rible adventure!” So they both ran from the 
field as fast as they could, and glad enough they 
were to get back home, I can tell you, and they 
never went so far oiF again. Now in case you 
don’t get your new shoes all muddy, so you can’t 
go to the rice pudding circus. I’ll tell you to- 
morrow night about Peetie and Jackie going 
fishing. 


26 


STORY IV 


JACKIE AND PEETIE GO FISHING 

Did any of you get your new shoes muddy 
yesterday? Well, if you did, I was going to 
say I couldn’t tell you any Bedtime Story to- 
night, but, after thinking it over, I’ve decided 
that I will relate a little story to you, after all. 
Probably it wasn’t your fault that the mud got 
in the way of your new shoes. 

Well, Jackie and Pettie Bow Wow were 
sleeping in front of their kennel-house one fine 
afternoon, when, all of a sudden, Jackie woke 
up. Now there was a funny thing about Jackie. 
You remember him? — ^the puppy dog, who was 
black, with a white spot on his nose. Well, the 
funny part of him was that he always wanted 
to be doing something. 

Of course Peetie, the white dog with the black 
spot on his nose, wanted to do things, too, but 
Jackie generally was the first to speak about it. 
Soj as soon as he woke up, Jackie bit Peetie’s 

2r 


Jackie and Peetie Go Fishing 


left ear, very gently and softly, and awakened 
his little brother. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Peetie, stretching 
first one leg, then the other. “Why did you 
wake me up.” 

“Let’s go fishing,” said Jackie. “It’s a fine 
day, and I think the fish will bite well.” 

“Humph! I don’t feel like getting bitten to- 
day,” answered Peetie, who didn’t know much 
about fish. “I don’t see why we should let the 
fish bite us.” 

“Oh, you don’t understand me,” went on 
Jackie, “I mean that the fish will bite on the 
bait and the hook.” 

“But won’t the hook hurt the fish?” asked 
Peetie, who was very kind-hearted. In fact he 
was so kind that he didn’t like even to kill a 
mosquito when it bit him on the nose. 

“Well, I s’pose the hook will hurt the fish a 
little,” admitted Jackie. 

“Then I don’t want to go,” decided Peetie. 

“Oh, come on!” called Jackie, getting up on 
his four legs and standing pretty still for so little 
a puppy dog. “We’ll use hooks that aren’t 
sharp and they won’t hurt the fish.” 

“All right,” replied Peetie, “then I’ll go.” 

So the two little puppy dogs went to some 
bushes, and, with their sharp teeth they each 
28 


Jackie and Peetie Go Fishing 


gnawed off a fish pole. Then they found some 
string for lines, and they got some pins and 
bent them to make hooks. Only they rubbed the 
sharp part of the pins on a stone to make the 
points dull, so they wouldn’t hurt the fish. 

“What bait shall we take?” asked Peetie. ^ 

“Oh, some pieces of bone,” answered Jackie. 
“We like bones, so I guess fish will also like 
them.” 

So they took some small pieces of bone for 
bait and started off through the woods to the 
pond near where Alice and Lulu and Jimmy 
Wibble wobble, the three ducks, lived. 

The puppy dogs were going to fish there. On 
the way they met Sammie Littletail, and John- 
nie and Billie Bushytail, and the squirrels and 
rabbit asked the puppy dogs where they were 
going. Jackie and Peetie said they were going 
fishing, and when they showed their hooks that 
weren’t sharp and the bones for bait, Sammie 
and Johnnie and Billie laughed so loud you 
might have heard them even in bed. Oh, yes, 
indeed, they laughed so they got the hiccoughs, 
but Peetie and Jackie couldn’t see why. 

“You’ll never catch any fish that way,” said 
Sammie. 

Now the funny part of it is how did Sammie 
know the puppy dogs wouldn’t catch any fish? 

29 


Jackie and Peetie Go Fishing 

But He did know, for the two doggies didn’t 
get a single bite. However, J ackie caught some- 
thing, and you’ll soon learn what it was. 

Well, after a while, oh, I guess in about four 
barks and a half, the two puppy dogs went on 
and soon came to the duck pond. There was no 
one around then, so they sat down on the bank, 
put some pieces of bone on the bent pin hooks 
that weren’t sharp, and waited for the bites — 
that is, they waited for the fishes to bite the bait, 
not to bite the puppy dogs, you understand. 

Well, they waited, and they waited, and they 
waited, and they didn’t catch anything. Alice 
and Lulu Wibble wobble came out to look at 
them, and Alice wanted to tell the puppies that 
there weren’t any fish in that part of the pond, 
but Lulu said it would be a pity to spoil the dog- 
gies’ fun, so the two duck girls walked away, and 
only said, “How-do-you-do?” 

In a little while, the sun was so nice and warm, 
and it was so still and quiet, that Peetie fell 
asleep. He dreamed he had found a nice, juicy 
bone, and that Jackie was trying to pull it away 
from him, and then Peetie gave a big jump, in 
his sleep, and bless my soul! if he didn’t jump 
himself right into the water! Yes, sir, he fell 
in ker-splish-splash, head over heels! 

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Peetie, as soon as he felt 
30 


Jackie and Peetie Go Fishing 

the cold water. “Help me out, Jackie! Help 
me!” 

“I will!” shouted Jackie. “I’ll save you, Pee- 
tie! Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out!” 

“Quick, before the fish bite me!” yelled Peetie. 

“I’ll save you!” cried Jackie again. “Here, 
grab hold of my fish line. The hook can’t hurt 
you, because it isn’t sharp, and I’m glad now that 
w^e made them dull. Grab it and I will pull you 
out!” 

So Peetie grabbed hold of the line Jackie 
threw to him, and Jackie tried to pull his little 
brother out of the water. But, oh dear! Peetie 
was too heavy for him! Jackie pulled and 
he hauled, and he yanked and he twisted on that 
line, but he couldn’t pull Peetie up, and it be- 
gan to look as if Peetie would drown. But just 
then, upon my word, if along didn’t come Uncle 
Wiggily Longears, the nice old gentleman 
rabbit. 

“What’s the matter?” he cried. “Have you 
got a bite?” Then, as he saw how hard Jackie 
was pulling, he added: “Land sakes! Good- 
ness me! I should say you did have a bite, and 
a big one, too! Is it a shark or a whale?” Be- 
cause, you know, he couldn’t see Peetie, who was 
under water. 


31 


Jackie and Peetie Go Fishing 


“I’ve caught my little brother,” said Jackie, 
“but I can’t pull him up!” 

“What! Caught your little brother on a hook 
and line?” cried Uncle Wiggily. “How cruel!” 

“Oh, but it was an accident. He fell in, and 
the hook isn’t sharp,” said Jackie, and then Un- 
cle Wiggily took hold of the line and helped 
Jackie pull poor Peetie out, just in time. 

Then the two little puppy dogs went home, 
without catching a single fish, but they had had 
quite an exciting time, I can tell you. 'Now let 
me see. If you don’t spill any egg on the table 
cloth so that it looks like a yellow daffodil flower 
in the garden, I’ll tell you tomorrow night about 
Jackie, Peetie and the feather pillows. 


32 


STORY V 


PEETIE^ JACKIE AND THE PILLOWS 

When Peetie and Jackie got home from their 
fishing trip, their papa and mamma wanted to 
know why Peetie was all wet. 

“Did you go in swimming, when I told you 
not to?” asked his mother. 

“No, mamma,” he said, and then he told how 
he had fallen into the water. 

Well, Mrs. Bow Wow was quite worried, and 
she said she thought Peetie and Jackie had better 
stay around home for a few days, until they got 
more used to taking care of themselves. So they 
couldn’t go very far off, and that’s the reason 
something happened that I’m going to tell you 
about. 

One day they were walking around in the 
woods, not far away from the kennel, when they 
happened to look over toward the house, where 
some people lived. You know that squirrels and 
rabbits live in the woods, that is, unless they’re 
very tame indeed; but puppy dogs most always 
33 


Peetie, Jackie and the Pillows 


live near a house that has people in it. That was 
the case with Peetie and Jackie. 

Well, just as usual, Jackie started something. 
He looked over toward the house, and, on the 
green lawn, where the grass was as soft as velvet, 
he saw something white. There were two or 
three of the things, and when he had looked at 
them for some time, with his head on one side, 
and one ear up, and the other one down, in order 
to listen well, Jackie said: 

“Peetie, what do you s’pose those things are?” 

“Bones, maybe,” answered Peetie, trying to 
stretch himself up high, in order to see the better, 
but falling down in the attempt. “I guess 
they’re bones,” he went on, as he took from his 
mouth a stone that had gotten in when he fell 
down. 

“They are too large for bones,” declared 
Jackie, going nearer. “Much too large.” 

“Maybe they are big bones,” suggested Peetie 
again, as he straightened himself up very care- 
fully. “I once saw papa have a very large bone.” 

“Oh, that was at Christmas time,” spoke 
Jackie. “It isn’t Christmas now. I’m going 
closer and look. Come on.” 

So Peetie and Jackie went through the fence, 
and on the lawn where the white things were. 
Then the puppy dogs saw that the objects 
34 


Peetie, Jackie and the Pillows 


weren’t bones. They poked their noses against 
them, and stuck their front paws into them, and 
found that the white things were very soft. Oh, 
as soft as mush, I guess, or maybe chewing gum, 
when you step on it. 

“What do you s’pose they can be?” asked 
Jackie again. 

“Maybe they’re baseballs,” said Peetie. “I 
know Sammie Littletail has a ball something like 
these things.” 

“They are far too large for baseballs,” decided 
Jackie. “But they are nice and soft to lie down 
upon. Come on, we will take a little nap.” 

So those two puppy dogs, each one, got upon 
one of the soft white things, and what do you 
imagine they were? Why, pillows, of course. 
The lady of the house. Aunt May, her name was, 
had put them out in the sun to air, and she never 
thought the two puppy dogs would come along 
and go to sleep on them. But they did, oh, my, 
yes, and a bed quilt besides ; yes, indeed. 

After Jackie had slept a while he woke up, 
and said: 

“Peetie, I wonder if these soft, white things 
would be good to pull on, like a piece of cloth or 
an old boot? You and I haven’t pulled on any- 
thing, so as to stretch our necks and make our 
35 


Peetie, Jackie and the Pillows 


teeth sharp, in some time. Suppose we try 
these?” 

“Go ahead,” answered Peetie, who was gen- 
erally ready for anything his brother proposed. 
“Ill help pull with you.” 

So what did those puppy dogs do but each take 
hold of an end of one of the pillows in his teeth ! 
Wasn’t that a perfectly dreadful thing for them 
to do? Of course, they didn’t know any better, 
so that’s some excuse; but you just wait and see 
what happens. 

Well, they took good hold with their teeth, and 
then they braced back on their hind legs, and 
pulled, and pulled , and pulled, all the while 
shaking their heads back and forth, and wiggling 
and growling and pretending to be angry; but 
only pretending, mind you, for it isn’t nice to 
be really angry. 

Well, in about a minute; no, I guess it was 
about a minute and a quarter, something hap- 
pened. Those puppy dogs pulled so hard that 
they pulled the pillow apart and whoop-de- 
doodle-do! if the feathers inside of it didn’t scat- 
ter all over, just like when it snows big flakes, 
and you think of sleigh rides, and all that sort of 
thing. My! how the feathers did fly! 

Jackie and Peetie were so surprised they 
didn’t know what to do. They had never seen 
36 


Peetie, Jackie and the Pillows 


anything like that. There they stood, each one 
with a piece of the pillow in his teeth, and the 
feathers were all over! My! You would have 
thought there were feathers enough to make six- 
teen Wibblewooble duck families. 

“What happened?” asked Jackie, surprised- 
like. 

“I don’t know,” answered Peetie. “But it 
was fun. Let’s do it again. Here’s another one 
over here.” 

So they ran across the grass to where there 
was another pillow and on the way they had 
fairly to wade through the feathers. Well, just 
as usual, they each fell down, and, as they had 
fallen down in a mud puddle just before going in 
on the lawn, their hair was all wet, and now the 
feathers stuck to them like paper on the wall. 

Then those puppy dogs looked like geese, but 
they didn’t mind that. They just grabbed an- 
other pillow, and they pulled, and they hauled, 
and they yanked, and they twisted this way and 
that way; and they shook their heads and they 
growled, but only pretending, you understand, 
and they braced back on their hind legs and then 
well, I’m almost ashamed to tell you, for fear 
you’ll think those doggies are bad, when they 
aren’t, but if the second pillow didn’t pull right 
apart, and whoof ! the feathers from that pillow 
37 


Peetie, Jackie and the Pillows 


scattered all over, just like a lot of fog, or cotton 
from a bed quilt. 

“Hi! yi!” yelled Jackie. “What fun! Let’s 
try another!” 

“Whoop-de-do!” shouted Peetie. “Of course 
we will! This is great!” 

But, just as they were going to pull another 
pillow apart, and scatter the feathers over the 
grass, if the lady of the house didn’t run out with 
a broom and cry: 

“Scat! Scat! You bad doggies, you! Scat, 
I say!” cried Aunt May. 

Well, of course, Peetie and Jackie ran away. 
They didn’t know they had done wrong, and as 
they hurried home, shedding feathers all the way, 
Jackie said: “Well, who would have thought 
it?” And Peetie said he wouldn’t, and he added: 
“I guess there were ducks inside those white 
things or else chickens, or how could there be so 
many feathers?” You see they didn’t under- 
stand pillows. Now the story to-morrow night is 
going to be about Peetie and Jackie running 
away; that is, if you have your spelling lesson 
and if the umbrella man doesn’t sew our pussy 
cat up in the rag bag. 


88 


STORY VI 


PEETIE AND JACKIE RUN AWAY 

Of course, when people do something they 
ought not to have done, something gen- 
erally happens, even if it wasn’t their fault. 
That’s just the way it was with Peetie and 
Jackie, after they had pulled the feather pillows 
apart. That lady of the house, whose name was 
Aunt May, if any one should ask you, had a 
terrible job picking up her feathers — I mean the 
feathers from the pillows — and separating them 
from the grass. 

Well, Peetie and Jackie were scolded by their 
mamma for tearing the pillows, and they were 
punished by having only bone soup for supper 
that night. There was chopped meat cakes with 
frosting chocolate on, but they couldn’t have any 
dessert you see. 

The next morning Jackie and Peetie were not 
feeling very happy. They thought they had 
been badly treated; but I don’t believe they had. 
Anyhow, Jackie, as usual, said: 

39 


Peetie and Jackie Run Away 

“I say, Peetie, I’m not going to stay here any 
more.” 

“What are you going to do?” asked his 
brother, trying to gnaw through a big log of 
wood, just to keep in practice. “What are you 
going to do, Jackie?” 

“I’m going to run away,” replied Jackie, real 
cross-like. “I’m going to run off, and be a bad 
dog. Maybe I’ll join a circus, and do tricks. I 
don’t know. Want to come?” 

“Where will you run to?” inquired Peetie, 
rubbing his black nose, on which a fly had 
alighted to tickle him. 

“Nobody knows where they’re going to run to 
when they run away,” said Jackie. “They just 
run, that’s all. Maybe if we go away off some- 
where*, that lady who drove us off the grass with 
a broom will feel sorry. She had no right to say 
‘scat’ to us. That’s only for cats.” 

“That’s right,” agreed Peetie. “Well, I’ll run 
away with you. Wait until I tell mamma we’re 
going.” 

“Oh, no! No, no!” cried Jackie. “You must 
never tell any one when you’re going to run 
away. It must be a surprise.” 

“Oh!” spoke Peetie. “I didn’t know that. 
Shall we take our clothes along, and something 
to eat?” 


40 


Peetie and Jackie Run Away 


‘‘Well, it would be better if we did, I s’pose,” 
agreed J ackie, “but if w^e go in the house 
mamma will see us, and maybe stop us. No, 
come on, just as we are.” 

So those httle puppy dogs started off. They 
didn’t know what was going to happen or, per- 
haps, they wouldn’t have gone. But you never 
can tell in this world what’s going to happen the 
next minute; can you? 

On and on Peetie and Jackie went, over hills 
and down dales, and through woods, until they 
came to a dark, dreary, dismal sort of a place, 
and they heard a noise. 

“What’s that?” whispered Jackie. 

“Maybe it’s a bear,” said Peetie, and he trem- 
bled so that he fell down and bumped his nose. 
But it wasn’t a bear. It was only good, kind 
Nurse Jane Fuzzy- Wuzzy going to market. 
When he saw the puppy dogs she asked: 

“Where are you going?” 

“We are running away,” answered Peetie. 

“Aw, you shouldn’t have told,” cried Jackie, 
pulling his brother into the bushes. “Now she’ll 
tell folks where we are.” 

“Oh! no, I won’t,” said Miss Fuzzy-Wuzzy. 
“You may run away if you like. I guess you’ll 
be glad enough to run back again. It may be a 
good lesson for you.” 


41 


Peetie and Jackie Run Away 


‘'We’ll never come back,” spoke Jackie, 
firmly; “never, never, never!” 

Then they went on farther, and soon they 
were in a deeper, darker, lonesomer part 
of the woods, and they began to be the 
least bit afraid. They heard strange noises, and 
they couldn’t tell what the noises were. Then 
they got hungry, but there wasn’t anything to 
eat in the woods, and Peetie began to wish he 
hadn’t run quite so far . 

“Do you know the way home?” asked Peetie 
of Jackie. 

“Of course not,” answered Jackie. “No one 
ever knows the path back home when he runs 
away. What would be the fun of running if you 
could go back? No, we can’t find our home, and 
we’re lost, and I’m glad of it.” 

“I’m not; I’m hungry,” cried Peetie. “I wish 
I hadn’t come with you.” 

“Don’t be a baby,” exclaimed Jackie. “I’ll 
take care of you. Maybe we’ll find something to 
eat very shortly now. Don’t cry, Peetie,” and 
he tried to comfort his brother as well as he could. 

Well, they kept on, getting deeper and deeper 
in the woods, and it was so still and quiet that 
you could hear the leaves rustle. Oh, it was very 
quiet. Then, all at once, there was a queer sort 
of a noise in the trees, and two great big owls 
42 


Peetie and Jackie Run Away 

almost as big as eagles, with big, round, yellow 
eyes, flew right down at those puppy dogs. 

“You take the one with the white spot on his 
nose,” said one owl to the other, “and I’ll take the 
one with the black spot.” 

“Oh, please don’t!” cried Peetie. “Don’t hurt 
us, good Mr. Owls. We never did anything to 
you!” 

“Where are you going through our woods?” 
asked one owl, stopping from gnashing his sharp 
beak and from wiggling his long claws. “Where 
are you going, I ask?” 

“We are running away!” cried Peetie, who al- 
ways told the truth, no matter what happened. 

“Ah, ha! I thought so!” cried the other owl, 
opening his eyes wider than ever. “Runaway 
puppy dogs, eh? Well, we always bite and 
scratch mnaway puppies, and that’s what we’re 
going to do to you now!” 

Well, you can just imagine what a terrible 
position it was for those two poor puppy dogs 
to be in. Only that they got out of it in a won- 
derful way I’d never tell you about it. 

The two owls came closer and closer to the 
doggies and were just going to fly at them and 
scratch them and bite them, too, when, all at 
once, as quickly as a frog can jump, Billie 
and Johnnie Bushytail leaped down out of a 
43 


Peetie and Jackie Run Away 


tall tree right on the backs of those two bad owls, 
and they frightened the ugly birds so that they 
were glad to fly away and not bother the doggies 
any more. 

Then the two squirrel boys took care of Peetie 
and Jackie, who, by this time, were quite ready 
to run home. But as it was late and getting dark, 
they wouldn’t have had time to get home that 
night. So they stayed in an old burrow where 
the Littletail rabbit family used to live, and the 
kind fish-hawk took word of where they were to 
their papa and mamma, saying that Peetie and 
Jackie would be home in the morning and for 
their folks not to worry. 

So that’s how the puppy dogs ran away, and 
I’ve got another story to tell you about them to- 
morrow night if it doesn’t snow ice cream 
cones and pop corn balls, with toy balloons for 
decorations. It will be about how Jackie found 
a bone. 


44 


STORY VII 


HOW JACKIE FOUND A BONE 

Peetie and Jackie Bow Bow didn’t sleep very 
well in the old burrow, or underground house, 
where the Littletail rabbit family used to live 
before they moved next door to Bully, the frog. 
But it was better than being out in the cold, dark 
woods, and the two puppy dogs knew this. 

“Are you going to run away again?” asked 
Peetie of Jackie, just as he was falling asleep. 

“No,” answered Jackie, “I never am. Are 
you?” 

“No, in ,” Peetie started to say, but he 

couldn’t finish the sentence. You see, he was go- 
ing to say, “No, indeed,” but he fell right asleep. 
Well, the night was finally over, though Jackie 
and Peetie didn’t rest very comfortably. In the 
morning Johnnie and Billie Bushytail came to 
the burrow quite early and showed the doggies 
the path home, for the squirrels knew their way 
all through the woods. 

“Oh I you can’t imagine how worried I have 
45 


How Jackie Found a Bone 


been about you!” cried Mrs. Bow Wow, when 
her two little boy dogs came slippering, slapper- 
ing in, falling down three times each. “If it 
hadn’t been that the kind fish hawk brought word 
where you were, I don’t know what I would have 
done.” 

“Will you forgive us, mamma?” asked Peetie. 
“We’ll never run away again,” and he cried a 
little, and Jackie cried a little, and Mrs. Bow 
Wow cried a little. But she forgave them. 

“Where is papa?” asked Jackie, for he 
thought he and Peetie might get a littk scolding, 
not much of a one, though, from his father. 

“I am very sorry to say that your father is not 
feeling well,” said Mrs. Bow Wow. “He came 
home from work with a headache, and he is in 
bed now, with a mustard plaster on his nose. His 
nose is hot, and I want to draw the fever out.” 

You know, children, when a dog’s or a cat’s 
nose is hot, instead of cold, it means that they 
are sick, just as when the doctor puts the ther- 
mometer under your tongue, to see if you are too 
warm and have a fever. 

Well, Jackie and Peetie felt sorry that their 
papa was ill, and they went in to see him. He 
could not say much because of the mustard 
plaster on his nose, but he nodded kindly at 
them. 


How Jackie Found a Bone 


‘‘Would you like a nice, juicy bone?” asked 
J ackie, and his papa moved his head three times, 
to show that he would dearly love a bone. “All 
right. I’ll get it,” went on Jackie. So, after 
he had eaten his breakfast, and when Peetie had 
gone to the store for some dog biscuits for dinner, 
Jackie started off to find a nice, juicy bone. 

Now nice bones, that will do for a sick dog 
whose nose is hot, are not so easy to find as you 
might suppose. Jackie looked everywhere for 
one, for his papa, but he couldn’t seem to dis- 
cover any. He looked under the woodpile and 
back of the henhouse, and near the rainwater 
barrel, and down the road, but not a bone could 
he see. Of course, there were some old ones, but 
not the kind that would do for a sick papa. 

“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Jackie, “I’m afraid I 
can’t find it!” But he wasn’t going to give up 
just yet, so he hunted on a little farther. Then, 
all at once, just as he was walking along, he fell 
down. He couldn’t help it, as he stumbled over 
a stick. When he picked himself up whom 
should he see but Grandfather Goosey-Gander. 

“Ha!” exclaimed the old gentleman duck. 
“Where are you going?” 

“I am looking for a bone for my papa,” an- 
swered Jackie, “but I can’t seem to find any. Do 
you know where there is one?” 

.47 


How Jackie Found a Bone 


‘‘Let me think,” spoke Grandfather Goosey- 
Gander, and he took off his tall, shiny, silk hat, 
the one that Jimmie Wibble wobble once threw a 
stone through, and the same one that the darning 
needle and the spider mended. “I can think bet- 
ter with my hat off,” said the old gentleman 
duck. Then he cried; “Quack, quack, quack!” 
three times, just like that, which showed that 
he was thinking very hard. Oh, my, yes, and a 
piece of lemon pie besides! 

Then he exclaimed: “I believe if you walk 
over that way you’ll find a nice, juicy bone,” and 
the old gentleman duck pointed over his left 
shoulder with his right wing. “I’ll go with you,” 
he added, “and help you.” 

Well, now, if Jackie didn’t have the best kind 
of luck! He and Grandfather Goosey-Gander 
hadn’t gone on more than the length of seven 
quacks and three barks, before they saw a fine, 
big bone. 

“Oh, that will be just the thing for my papa!” 
cried Jackie. 

But, too bad! When he tried to lift it, he 
found it was so heavy, and stuck so far down in 
the ground, that he couldn’t budge it. Then he 
tried to wiggle it up with all his strength but he 
couldn’t pull it. Then the old duck said: 

“I’ll help you,” but even with the aid of 
48 


How Jackie Found a Bone 


Grandfather Goosey-Gander, Jackie couldn’t 
move that bone. They pulled and they shoved, 
and they tugged and they twisted, but the bone 
was too big. Just then along came Uncle 
Wiggily Longears and Sammie Littletail, and 
they tried, but still the bone couldn’t be moved 
out of the hard ground. 

‘T guess it will have to stay here,” said Jackie. 
“Poor papa can’t have any bone to-day.” 

But they all tried some more, though they 
couldn’t move the bone an inch. Then, gracious 
goodness! if along didn’t come Johnnie and 
Billie Bushytail and the squirrel boys helped all 
they could, but still the bone stuck in the ground. 

“It’s no use,” said Uncle Wiggily. “We had 
better look for a smaller bone.” 

Well, now, just listen, and see what happens. 
If at that minute along didn’t come Sister Sallie, 
singing a song about a lolly-pop-lally and going 
to the barber’s shop in the alley, and all that. 
She saw what the trouble was, right away. 

“The bone it too deep down fast in the 
ground,” said Sister Sallie. “Sammie, you and 
Uncle Wiggily must dig it out.” 

So the two rabbits, with their strong feet, 
scraped the dirt away and almost dug out the 
bone. “Now,” said Sister Sallie, “there needs to 
be a hole gnawed in the bone, so we can put a 
4i> 


How Jackie Foim3 a Bone 


string through it and drag it along. Billie, you 
and Johnnie gnaw the hole,” so the squirrels did 
it in less than no time. 

Then Sister Sallie put in the hole, a strong 
string, made out of grass, and everybody took 
hold of it, and they pulled, one, two, three, and 
presto chango! along the bone slid out on the 
ground, just as easy as you can fall off the front 
porch, and it was dragged to Mr. Bow Wow’s 
house, Jackie helping more than any one. And 
the funny part of it was, that as soon as the 
puppy dog’s papa gnawed the bone, he got well, 
right off. Now wasn’t that good? 

Well, now let’s see; oh, in case I don’t get hit 
by a shooting star that knocks a hole in my hat. 
I’ll tell you to-morrow night about Peetie and 
the frog. 


STORY VIII 


PEETIE AND THE FROG. 

Once upon a time, a good many years ago, but 
not so many years that you couldn’t count them, 
even if you are only in the kindergarten class, 
Peetie Bow Wow was out walking in the woods. 
He was all alone, for his brother Jackie had gone 
to play ball with Jimmie Wibblewobble the duck 
boy. Well, Peetie was sort of walking slowly 
along, so as not to fall down, for he wasn’t very 
steady on his legs, and he came to a place where 
there were some beautiful posies. 

‘T guess I’ll pick a nice bouquet of flowers,” 
he thought. ‘T’ll take them home and put them 
in a vase on the mantelpiece in our kennel,” for 
you know Mrs. Bow Wow was very particular, 
even if she was only a doggie’s mamma, and she 
kept the kennel as neat as beeswax and honey 
besides. 

So Peetie started to pick a nice big blue violet 
that was growing right beside a clump of ferns, 
when, all at once, he heard a voice calling: 


Peetie and the Frog 


‘‘Here! Let that flower alone!” 

Well, honestly, Peetie jumped so, in surprise, 
that he fell right over backwards, and almost 
bumped his black-spotted nose on a stone. Then 
he got up, and he looked all around and he 
couldn’t see who had called to him. Then he 
looked up toward the sky, and still he couldn’t 
see any one, then he looked around the corner of 
a stump, and still he couldn’t see a living soul. 
He was quite puzzled. 

“I guess I must have dreamed that,” he said. 

Then the puppy dog started to pick some more 
flowers, and he was just reaching for a purple 
violet, when, once more he heard the voice calling 
to him: 

“Hi, there! You let that flower alone!” 

This time Peetie jumped so hard that he 
turned a complete somersault, just like the clown 
in the circus, only different, of course, because 
you see a clown only has two legs. 

Well, up jumped Peetie, and he looked to the 
right and he looked to the left and he looked 
seven ways from Sunday, and all the week days 
besides, but mind you, he couldn’t see a single 
mite of a person. It was all still and quiet-like, 
just as it is in church before anything happens, 
or anyone talks out loud. 

“That’s funny,” said Peetie. ‘“I’m sure I 
52 


Peetie and the Frog 


heard some one speak, and yet no one is here. 
Maybe it’s a fairy, the kind Sammie Littletail 
saw,” he added, and he felt quite delighted until 
he remembered that the fairies had gone away 
for a long time. So he started to pick some more 
flowers, and just as he was reaching for a dog- 
tooth violet, which was his special kind, he heard 
the queer voice calling again: 

“Hold on there, puppy dog! Don’t you pick 
that flower!” 

“Well, I’m going to find out who this is 
hollering at me!” cried Peetie, and he shook his 
head, and put his legs still wider apart to prevent 
himself from toppling over. “This is certainly 
a queer thing; having some one call to you to 
stop picking flowers in the woods, and you can’t 
see who it is,” he added. 

So Peetie looked all around, up, and down, 
high and low, sideways, crossways and through 
the middle, but not a soul could he discover. 

“I don’t believe it was any one at all,” he said 
aloud. 

“Yes it was!” cried a voice, right over his 
head, and Peetie looked suddenly up, and lo! 
and behold, if there wasn’t a little green frog, 
peering down at him from out of a Jack-in-the- 
pulpit. You know what Jack-in-the-pulpits are, 
I dare say; a long green sort of flower that grows 
53 


Peetie and the Frog 

in the woods, and it looks like a pulpit that some 
ministers preach from. Well, there was the frog 
in it. “Hello!” cried the frog to Peetie, real 
pleasant-like. “Did I surprise you?” and the 
frog smiled a real, wide smile, almost around to 
his ears. 

“Yes,” replied Peetie, “you did surprise me 
considerable. What are you doing up there?” 

“I’m taking my bath,” answered the frog. 

“Your bath? Nonsense!” cried Peetie. “You 
can’t take a bath in that. Besides, this isn’t Sat- 
urday night.” 

“I know it isn’t Saturday night,” admitted the 
frog, “but I take a bath every day. As for not 
being able to do it in this Jack-in-the-pulpit, I’ll 
prove to you that I can.” Then, before Peetie 
knew what was happening, the frog splashed 
some water from inside the deep flower, which 
was shaped something like a pitcher, right into 
Peetie’s eye. “Now do you believe I’m taking a 
bath?” asked the frog. 

“Yes,” said Peetie, “I do. But how did the 
water get in there?” 

“It rained in,” replied the frog. “Some one 
left the top of the Jack-in-the-pulpit open, and 
it just fell in; the water did. I’m glad of it, for 
I like to bathe here better than in the pond. But 
I’m all done now. My name is — ” 

54f 


Peetie and the Frog 


“I know, it’s Bully! I’ve heard about you!” 
interrupted Peetie. 

“No,” answered the frog, “my name is Bawly. 
They called me that because when I was a baby 
frog I used to cry so much. I’m Bully’s brother, 
you see. But wouldn’t you like to take a bath 
in here?” And he jumped out of the Jack-in- 
the-pulpit and stood close to Peetie on the mossy 
ground. 

“I would, only I’m afraid I’m too big to fit in 
that bath tub,” replied the puppy dog. 

“So you are,” decided Bawly, the frog, after 
looking at Peetie very carefully. “But I think 
I can arrange it. Let me think for a moment,” 
and to make himself think better he recited this 
little verse: 

“There once was a doggie who wanted a bath. 
This doggie his name was Rover. 

The tub was so high, he couldn’t reach up. 

But a froggie helped tip it over.” 

“But my name isn’t Rover,” objected Peetie. 
“Though that’s a very nice verse.” 

“No matter,” said the frog. “Here we go!” 

And with that he tipped over the J ack-in-the- 
pulpit, and the water all spilled out on Peetie, 
giving the puppy dog the finest bath he had ever, 
55 


Peetie and the Frog 


had, even if it wasn’t Saturday night, when he 
usually had his wash. 

Peetie felt fine, after he had shaken himself 
to get dry, for he had no towel. Then Bawly 
said he was only in fun when he had called about 
not picking the flowers, and he said Peetie could 
take as many as he wanted. 

Then the froggie and the doggie had a fine 
time, playing stump tag, and a game called hide- 
the-bone, at which Peetie won every time, be- 
cause he could smell a juicy bone a long way oif . 
But it was now time for Peetie to go home, so he 
gathered some flowers, Bawly helping him, and 
ran to the kennel, getting there just as supper 
was ready. 

Bawly went on to his pond, and to-morrow 
night, provided I have strawberry shortcake for 
supper, and the baby doesn’t stick her rattle box 
in the glass of water. I’ll tell you about a picnic 
to which tlie Bow Wows went. 


56 


STORY IX 


JACKIE AND PEETIE AT A PICNIC 

One fine day, when the sun was shining as 
bright as a new penny, or a five-dollar goldpiece, 
if you ever had that much money at once, Jackie 
and Peetie Bow Wow came running up to the 
kennel where their mamma was mixing the 
dough to make some dog and puppy biscuit. 
The two little Bow Wows were all excited, and 
Jackie fell down three times, and Peetie fell 
down four times, as they ran up. 

“My! what is the matter?” cried their mamma, 
as she came to the door of the kennel-house, with 
her paws all dough. “Is the duck pond on fire?” 
she asked, “or has Uncle Wiggily Longears 
fallen down and hurt himself?” 

“Neither one, mamma,” answered Jackie, as 
he got up and brushed the dust off his nose, “but 
there’s going to be a picnic and we want to go, 
Peetie and I. May we?” 

“A picnic? Where is it going to be?” asked 
Mrs. Bow Wow. 


57 


Jackie and Peetie at a Picnic 


“Away off in the woods,” replied Peetie. 
“Jimmie and Lulu and Alice Wibblewobble the 
ducks are going, and so are Johnnie and Billie 
Bushytail, and Sister Sallie, and Sammie and 
Susie Littletail, and Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy, 
and everybody you can think of. Can’t we go?” 

“Did anybody invite you?” asked their mother. 

“Oh, yes! Alice Wibblewobble did. She is 
very kind,” spoke Jackie. “She told us to bring 
our lunch and stay all day in the woods. 

“Yes, I s’pose you can go,” answered Mamma 
Bow Wow as she took some dough off her left 
paw, and put it on her right paw. “But you 
must come in and wash your paws and faces and 
comb your hair and put on your other clothes. 
You be getting ready, and I’ll put up the lunch.” 

So the two little boy dogs began to get ready 
for the picnic, and they washed their faces and 
paws more quickly than they had ever done be- 
fore, I can tell you. Oh, my, yes! Well, when 
their mother had their lunch put up she called to 
them that it was all ready. Let me see, there 
were some nice juicy bones, some meat and 
bread, some sweet crackers, pieces of puppy bis- 
cuit and some bottles of milk — a very fine lunch, 
I think, myself. 

“Come on, Jackie,” called Peetie, who was 
58 


Jackie and Peetle at a Picnic 


ready first, and he ran to the front door of the 
kennel. “Come on, or we’ll be late.” 

But what do you think happened? Jackie 
couldn’t find his cap. He was always leaving it 
in places where he couldn’t find it. Sometimes it 
was on the floor, sometimes under the hatrack, 
sometimes behind the door, and often under the 
table. In fact, it was seldom where it ought to 
be. 

“Has anybody seen my cap?” asked Jackie, 
as he looked all around for it. 

“Oh, come on!” cried Peetie. “I just saw 
Jimmie Wibblewobble going, and here come 
Sammie Littletail and Susie.” 

Then Jackie hunted faster than ever for his 
cap, but he couldn’t And it. Then his mother 
helped him look, and so did Peetie, and finally 
the cap was found on a chair, under a lot of 
clothes, just where Jackie had carelessly tossed 
it. Well, the two puppy dogs then hurried off 
through the woods to the picnic. 

“Now we’ll be late, and it’s all your fault,” 
said Peetie, as they walked along. 

“I couldn’t help it,” declared Jackie. “I won’t 
lose my cap again.” 

On and on they went through the woods, but 
they didn’t see any of their friends, because all 
the animal children had all gone to the picnic 
59 


Jackie and Peetie at a Picnic 


some time before. The two puppy dogs were 
late and they hurried as fast as they could. 

Well, in the meanwhile, Lulu and Alice and 
Jimmie and Billie and Johnnie and all the rest 
were having a fine time in the woods. They 
played all sorts of games, and they wondered 
why Peetie and Jackie didn’t come. But you 
just wait; the puppy dogs will soon arrive, and 
just in time to do a very brave act, too. Just 
wait, that’s all I ask of you. 

When it came dinner time, the picnic party 
got ready to eat. They spread out on the ground 
the nice things they had brought in their baskets, 
and they were just going to start, when all of a 
sudden, right out from the bushes jumped two 
bad foxes. 

Oh, what bad foxes they were! One of them 
stepped right in the butter and the other one 
knocked over the pitcher of milk with his left 
foot and upset the plate of bread with his right 
foot. 

“Ha! Ha!” cried the fox limping around with 
his foot in the butter. “We are just in time! I 
thought we smelled something good to eat!” 

“To be sure we did,” answered the other fox, 
and he looked right at Alice Wibblewobble, and 
smacked his lips in a truly savage manner. 

“What do you foxes want here?” cried Grand- 

60 


Jackie and Peetie at a Picnic 


father Goosey-Gander. “Take your foot out of 
that butter instantly; do you hear me?’’ 

“Yes, I hear you,” answered the fox, and just 
to be mean he put his other foot in the butter and 
jiggled himself up and down. 

“Get out of here!” cried Grandpa Wibble- 
wobble, real brave-like. “Get away at once, or 
we’ll make you go.” 

“Ha! ha! I’d like to see you!” cried the fox 
with his two feet in the butter. “We came here 
to eat you rabbits and you squirrels and you 
ducks all up! All up, I say!” and he gnashed his 
teeth and smacked his lips something terrible. 

Then all the picnic folks began to shiver and 
to shake, and Alice and Lulu Wibble wobble 
cried, and it looked as if that picnic was going to 
be broken completely up, for the foxes got all 
ready to make a fine meal, when all at once, what 
should happen, but that along came Peetie and 
Jackie Bow Wow. 

They had just reached the picnic ground, for 
they were late, you know, and it’s a good thing 
they came just then. Without saying a word, 
they dropped their lunch baskets, and with 
two terrific, extraordinary and double- jointed 
growls, meanwhile gnashing their sharp teeth, 
they bravely sprang at those impudent foxes! 

Right at them they sprang, these brave puppy 
61 


Jackie and Peeti^ at a Picnic 


dogs did and Jackie bit the fox that Had put his 
feet in the butter, and Pettie bit the one who had 
upset the milk, and land sakes, goodness me 
alive! if those foxes didn’t give two separate and 
distinct howls, and run right away! 

Then when the excitement was over, the picnic 
went right on, as if nothing had happened; but 
every one was very thankful to Jackie and 
Peetie. The puppy dogs had a fine time, and 
they were sorry when the picnic was over. But 
of course it had to stop when it got dark. 

Now, to-morrow night, if you eat up all your 
oatmeal at breakfast, and don’t drop your roller 
skates down stairs, and awaken the babj^’s rubber 
ball, I’m going to tell you about Peetie and the 
hen’s eggs. 


6 ^ 


STORY X 


PEETIE AND THE HEN^S EGGS 

Let’s see, I believe I promised to tell you to- 
night about the elephant who stepped on a tack; 
didn’t I? Well, this elephant — eh? what’s that? 
Not an elephant story? Oh, of course not! How 
careless of me! I remember now, it was to be 
about Peetie and the hen’s eggs. Surely. But 
I’ve got an elephant story to tell you some time. 

Well, to start all over again. You see Peetie 
and Jackie had such a fine time at the picnic, 
where they scared away those two bad foxes, 
that they wanted to go to another one the next 
day; only there wasn’t any. 

‘T know what we’ll do,” suggested Jackie to 
his brother, ‘‘we’ll go in the barn and play hide 
and seek. It’ll be lots of fun.” 

So they scampered off to the barn, and, would 
you believe me, neither of those puppy dogs fell 
down a single time! Really, that’s a fact! Oh, 
they were getting to be pretty firm on their legs '; 
perhaps when they thought of how brave they 
63 


Peetie and the Hen’s Eggs 


were, to scare off the bad foxes, that helped them 
to stand up straight. 

Well, Jackie shut his eyes, and began to count 
up to a hundred barks, while Peetie ran off and 
hid. And where do you suppose he hid. Why, 
he scrambled up on top of a pile of hay, and bur- 
rowed deep down in it, until only the black spot 
on his nose showed, and that not very much. 

“Ready or not, I’m coming!” cried Jackie, 
when he had counted up to the hundred, and 
then he began to hunt for Peetie. 

It was just like the time Jackie hid in the rub- 
ber boot, and Peetie couldn’t find him anywhere, 
though he sniffed all about. This time Jackie 
hunted, and he looked under the mowing ma- 
chine, which is like a sewing machine, only it 
cuts the hay and the oats that the farmer sows, 
while a sewing machine sews the things that your 
mamma cuts out — bibs for baby and aprons and 
things like those. 

Well, Jackie looked under that machine and in 
the oat bin, and in the feedbox and all over, but 
he couldn’t find Peetie. Then the other little 
puppy dog, who didn’t want his brother to get 
tired searching for him called out: 

“Here I am, Jackie, on top of the hay,” and 
then Peetie scrambled out of the little nest he 
had made and slid down the smooth side of the 
64 


Peetie and the Hen’s Eggs 

hay. Down he went, ker-thump! on the barn 
floor. 

“Why, that’s a regular toboggan slide!” cried 
J ackie, when he saw what his brother had done. 
“That’s more fun than playing hide and seek. 
Let’s slide on the hay.” 

So they slid on the hay. They would climb up 
to the top of the pile, stick their legs out in front 
of them — that is, their front legs — for their back 
legs they had to stick out in back, and down they 
would go. 

“Whoop-de-diddle-dum!” cried Peetie, he 
was so excited. “Isn’t this fun?” 

“Hi-di-diddle-o-dee 1 I should say it was!” 
cried Jackie, and when he went down that time 
he turned two complete somersaults, he felt so 
ihappy. Well, those puppy dogs played in the 
hay for some time, and then, all at once, Peetie 
called out: “I’m going to slide down the other 
side.” 

“All right,” answered Jackie, “I’ll slide with 
you.” But before Jackie could come to where 
his brother was, Peetie had slid down on the other 
side of the hay pile, while Jackie stayed on top, 
waiting to see how smooth it was. 

It was smooth, all right ! Oh, yes, very 
smooth, indeed! Much smoother than on the 
first side. Down and down slid Peetie, faster 
65 


Peetie and the Hen’s Eggs 

and faster, and all of a sudden he came to the 
bottom, and landed plump into a big nest of 
hen’s eggs! 

Right into them he crashed, with all four feet, 
smash, bang, ker-splosh-splash, cracking the 
shells, scattering the whites and j^ellows all over, 
and then right into the mess fell poor Peetie 
himself until he looked just like the omlet that 
cook makes for breakfast. Oh, but Peetie was 
a sight. Such a sight! 

} There was the yolk of an egg in one eye, the 
white of an egg in the other eye, and his two 
front feet were fast in egg shells, and there was 
even one shell on his tail, and his fur was all 
streaked with white and yellow. 

I guess he must have broken about fifteen eggs 
altogether. 

“Oh, dear!” cried Peetie, sorrowfully, just 
like that. “Oh, dear!” 

“Well, what in the world happened?” asked 
Jackie, who hadn’t yet slid down. 

“I — I guess I must have fallen into a hen’s 
nest, where she was hatching the eggs,” spoke 
Peetie. “Yes, that’s what I did,” he added, as 
he looked at the mess all around. “I fell in the 
nest.” 

“Fell in the nest; I should say you did!” 
cried an angry voice right behind him, and when 
66 


Peetie and the Hen’s Eggs 


Peetie turned around there stood Mrs. Cluck- 
Cluck, the hen. 

“Well, of all the inexhaustible tricks I ever 
heard of, this is the most contemporaneous!” 
cried Mrs. Cluck-Cluck, who could use very long 
words at times. “The very idea! Those eggs 
that I expected to hatch little chickens out of are 
all spoiled, and I only began setting on them yes- 
terday! Oh, how perfectly preposterous! Oh! 
Oh! Oh! Why did you do it?” 

“I — I didn’t mean to, please ma’am,” whim- 
pered Peetie, as he wiped some yellow from an 
egg off the black spot on his nose. “It was an 
accident when I slid down. I slid on the wrong 
side of the hay!” 

“I should say you did,” lamented Mrs. Cluck- 
Cluck. “Oh, my lovely eggs! All ruined! 
Every one!” 

“Oh, what a terrible mess!” murmured Jackie, 
looking down at his brother in the broken eggs. 
“Oh, what a terrible mess!” 

“You needn’t talk!” remarked Peetie, remov- 
ing some white of an egg from his left ear. 
“You came near going in them yourself?” 

“Well, all I’ve got to say,” went on Mrs. 
Cluck-Cluck, “is that you puppy dogs will have 
to get some new eggs for me to hatch; that’s all.” 

“We will!” cried Peetie, as he waggled his tail, 
67 


Peetie and the Hen’s Eggs 


to get rid of the egg shell that was sticking to it. 
“We’ll get you some at once!” 

Then Jackie and Peetie ran home, glad that 
Mrs. Cluck-Cluck hadn’t been any crosser to 
them, and on the way Peetie fell in the duck 
pond, which was a good thing, for it washed him 
clean. Then he saw Mrs. Wibblewobble, and 
told her of the terrible accident of smashing the 
eggs. 

“Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ll give you some 
new eggs for Mrs. Cluck-Cluck.” Which she 
did, only they were ducks’ eggs, and not chick- 
ens’ eggs, and Mrs. Cluck-Cluck hatched out 
dear little ducklings, and she was terribly sur- 
prised when they all went in swimming. 

But, of course, you’ve heard that story, so 
there’s no need of telling it. Now, if I’m not 
bitten by a grasshopper with pink wings, purple 
eyes and a gold ring in his nose, I’m going to tell 
vou to-morrow night about Jackie and the golf 
ball. 


68 


V.- 


STORY XI 


JACKIE AND THE GOLF BALL 

One day Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow were 
out in the yard in front of their house, playing 
tag. After a while they got tired of that, and 
they were just thinking of some new game, when 
along came Bawly and Bully, the two frogs. 
Bawly was the one, you know, who took his bath 
in the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, even if it wasn’t Sat- 
urday night. 

‘‘Hello!” cried Bawly and Bully at the same 
time. 

“Hello!” answered Jackie and Peetie as 
quickly as they could. “Where are you going?” 

“We are going to have a jumping contest,” 
answered Bully. “Bawly thinks he can jump 
farther than I, but I do not believe he can. 
Perhaps you would like to try.” 

“We are not very good at jumping,” an- 
swered Peetie. “If you were to have a falling- 
down race now, we would go in.” 

“Oh, come on and jump, anyhow,” suggested 
69 


Jackie and the Golf Ball 


Bawly; so the two froggies and the two doggies 
went off to a nice, green field to see who could 
jump the farthest. 

Well, I needn’t tell you that the frogs jumped 
better than did the puppy dogs, for that was per- 
fectly natural, and Bawly jumped as far as did 
Bully, so there was no telling who was the better 
at it. Then, when the jumping was all over, 
they all sat down in the shade of some big bur- 
dock leaves to rest. 

“What shall we do now?” asked Peetie. 

“Let’s go in swimming,” proposed Bully. 

“All right,” agreed Jackie. “It is quite hot, 
and the water will cool us off.” 

“Before we go in swimming I want to sing a 
little song,” said Bawly. “I learned it last 
night.” 

“Oh, I don’t want to hear that song again,” 
objected Bully, his brother. 

“But this is a new one,” answered Bawly, and 
he sang it, standing up on his hind legs and open- 
ing his mouth so wide that you could see away 
down his throat. 

Now, to sing this song properly you have to 
stand imder a burdock leaf, but as that’s rather 
difficult to do in the evening, I have managed to 
secure permission for you to sing it in your room, 
70 


Jackie and the Golf Ball 


or even in bed, if the baby isn’t asleep. Well, 
this is the song Bawly sang: 

“I am a little froggie, 

And I sing ker-ring-g-g-ker-rung-g-g! 

It is a simple little song, 

This one that I’ve just sung. 

I might have sung ta-ra-ta-ree 
Perhaps that would be better. 

Now when I jump into a pond, 

I’m sure I can’t get wetter.” 

And with that Bawly jumped into a pond 
close at hand. Then he stuck out his head and 
sung the second verse this way: 

“Now if you love a froggie 
I’m sure that you’ll love me. 

For I am just as good a frog 
As ever you did see. 

Some day I’m going to give a jump. 

And go so very high, 

I really think that I will go 
Right to the bright, blue sky!” 

And no sooner had Bawly uttered those words, 
and looked up toward the clouds than something 
white came saihng through the air and landed 

71 


Jackie and the Golf Ball 


with a thump close to the burdock leaf where 
Peetie and Jackie and Bully were. 

'‘My goodness! What’s that?” asked Peetie. 

“That must be a falling star,” said J ackie. 

“Stars don’t fall in the daytime; only at 
night,” replied Bawly, hopping out of the pond 
to look at the object that had fallen so mysteri- 
ously from the sky. It was something round 
and white, about as big as a little orange; a very 
little orange, you know. 

“Maybe some one threw that at Bawly for 
singing,” suggested Bully. 

“I don’t see any one,” answered Peetie. “I 
guess that’s a stone, that a bad hoy threw at 
a bird.” 

“No, it’s not a stone,” was Jackie’s opinion, 
as he went up and smelled of it. Then they all 
looked at it, and Bully cried out : 

“Oh, I know what it is! That’s a golf ball. 
It’s a ball that men knock around a field with 
clubs, to get it out of their way, and then they 
hire a boy to hunt for it so they can knock it 
some more. It’s a game, golf is; and I remem- 
ber now there’s a place around here where men 
play it. This must be one of the balls they 
knocked so far that they couldn’t find it again.” 

“Is a golf ball good to eat?” asked Jackie, 
who was hungry. 


72 


Jackie and the Golf Ball 

‘ J don’t believe so,” answered Bawly, doubt- 
fully. 

“Well, I’m going to try,” spoke Jackie, and 
he opened his mouth, and took hold of that golf 
ball, and bit as hard as he could. Now Jackie 
had sharp teeth and strong jaws, and that golf 
ball was made of rubber. It had once been hard, 
but it had been in the hot sun, and had become 
soft. So, no sooner did Jackie bite on it, than his 
teeth sank away in, and a queer expression came 
over his face. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Beetle. 

“Um-blub-mum-dug-ugh-flug-plub-slub !” ex- 
claimed Jackie, for you see he couldn’t get his 
mouth open so that he could talk plainly. 

Then Peetie became frightened, and so did 
Bawly and Bully, for they saw right away what 
the matter was with Jackie. 

“Try to open your mouth,” cried Peetie. “Try 
real hard, Jackie, or maybe your jaws will grow 
together, shut tight, and you can’t ever eat 
again.” 

Well, poor Jackie tried with all his might, but 
he couldn’t get his teeth out of that golf ball 
any more than you can get up out of a chair 
after you sit on it when baby has left a whole? 
lot of molasses candy in it. 

Jackie tried and he tried, and he squirmed 

73 


Jackie and the Golf Ball 


around, and he stood on his head, and he stood 
on his tail, and he rolled over and over, but it 
did no good. He couldn’t get his teeth loose 
from that golf ball. 

“We will have to help him,” said Bawly. 
“Bully, you take hold of his upper jaw, and I’ll 
take hold of his lower jaw, and we’ll pull his 
mouth open.” 

So the two froggies did this, while Peetie 
looked on and wagged his tail to help them. 
Bawly and Bully pulled, and they pulled, and 
they pulled, and all of a sudden Jackie’s jaws 
came open with a snap and the golf ball rolled 
out. 

“My! I’ll never bite one of them again, no 
matter how hungry I am,” declared Jackie; and 
he never did. Then they all went off and had a 
game of tag. 

Now I’m not quite sure, but I think that if you 
answer everybody politely tomorrow, and don’t 
spill your ice cream on the policeman’s newly 
polished shoes. I’ll tell you tomorrow night about 
the Bow Wows and the lost doggie. 


74 


STORY XII 


FINDING A LOST DOGGIE 

‘‘Let’s go out in the woods,” said Jackie to 
Peetie, one day. 

“What for?” inquired the doggie with the 
black spot on his nose. 

“Just for fun,” replied Jackie. 

“I’m having fun here,” went on Peetie, turn- 
ing over a nice, juicy bone he was gnawing, so 
as to get at the other side. “This is fun enough 
for me.” 

“Oh, come on in the woods,” said Jackie again. 
“Maybe we will meet with an adventure.” • 

“All right,” agreed Peetie, “wait until I hide 
this bone,” and he dug a hole, and in it he put 
the bone. Just as the two puppy dogs were wob- 
bling off toward the woods, their papa came 
home. 

“Where are you boys going?” he asked. 

“We’re going off in search of an adventure,” 
answered Peetie, who, as I told you before, al- 
ways spoke the truth, no matter what happened. 
75 


Finding a Lost Doggie 


‘‘Humph!” exclaimed Mr. Bow Wow, “take 
care that an adventure doesn’t get you,” and 
then he smiled at his two children and went to 
the kennel, for that day he. had come home early 
from the dog biscuit factory, where he worked, 
so that he might help his wife put new, clean 
straw in the kennel house. “Now, be good boys,” 
called Mr. Bow Wow to Peetie and Jackie, “and 
come home early for supper.” 

So Peetie and Jackie started off, and they had 
no idea of what was going to happen to them. 

Well, they walked on for quite a way, and 
Peetie fell down only once, and Jackie didn’t 
fall down at all, which was pretty good, I think. 
Oh my, yes, and some vinegar and brown paper 
besides 1 

Suddenly, as the two puppy dogs were walk- 
ing along, they heard a noise in the bushes. 

“What’s that?” whispered Peetie, crouching 
down in some ferns. 

“I don’t know,” answered Jackie. “Maybe 
it’s a fox!” 

Then the crackhng in the bushes got louder, 
and something big seemed coming closer to the 
two doggies, and, all at once, w^ho should appear 
but Aunt Lettie, the old lady goat, who once 
paid a visit to the Wibblewobbles. 

76 


Finding a Lost Doggie 


“Why, my dear puppy dogs! How do you 
do?” she exclaimed. “How is your mamma?” 

“She is pretty well,” answered Jackie. “We 
thought you were a fox. Are you going to see 
our mamma?” 

“No, I was going to call on Mrs. Goosey-Gan- 
der, but I’ll come and see you some day,” and 
with that Aunt Lettie went on through the 
woods. 

Well, Jackie and Peetie resumed their walk, 
in search of an adventure, and they hadn’t gone 
very far before they heard another noise. This 
time it was a crying, whining sort of a noise, and 
Peetie exclaimed: 

“I believe that’s some of those bad owls, 
Jackie.” 

“Maybe it is,” agreed Jackie. “I guess we’d 
better go back home, and look for an adventure 
another day.” They were just turning around, 
when out from the bushes stepped a poor, little 
doggie, not half so big as Peetie, and Peetie was 
small enough to go in a rubber boot leg you 
remember. 

“Was that you crying?” asked Jackie of the 
doggie. 

“It was,” answered the doggie. “Listen and 
I will cry some more, to show you that I did it 
the first time,” Then he cried again: “Boo- 
77 


Finding a Lost Doggie 


hoo! Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!” just like that three 
times, and stopped. 

“But why are you crying?” asked Jackie. 
“Did you step on a thorn or a piece of glass?” 

“No, I’m crying because I’m lost,” answered 
the doggie. “Shall I cry some more?” 

“Where do you live?” inquired Peetie. “Tell 
us before you cry any more.” 

“I live in a kennel house with some straw in 
it,” replied the lost doggie. “Oh! dear. Hoo- 
boo! Hoo-boo! Hoo-boo!” You see, he cried 
backward that time, but it was all the same. “I 
went for a walk,” he whimpered, “and I got lost, 
and I can’t find any policeman.” 

“What do you want with a policeman?” asked 
Jackie. 

“Oh! my mamma always said if I got lost to 
go to a policeman at once, and he would take me 
home,” went on the doggie. “But I can’t find 
any, Hoo-boo-lu-boo-lu !” And he cried front- 
ward and backward this time. 

“Don’t cry,” spoke Jaclde kindly. “We will 
help you find your home. What is your name?” 

“My name is Wig-Wag,” answered the lost 
doggie, “and I’m called that because I can wig- 
wag my tail.” 

“Oh! we can do that also,” spoke Peetie. “But 

78 


Finding a Lost Doggie 

come on, we will try to find your kennel-house 
for you.” 

So the two puppies helped the lost doggie to 
dry his tears on some soft grass, and then they 
started off with him. Well, they looked this 
way, and they looked that way, and all around, 
besides up and down and criss-cross, but they 
couldn’t find Wig- Wag’s home. 

“Oh!” exclaimed the lost doggie, “I’ll never 
see my mamma again!” 

Then Peetie and Jackie hunted harder than 
ever for the lost doggie’s house, but it wasn’t 
to be found. And they had a terrible time. 

They fell in a mud puddle all three of them, 
and a big snake chased them, and an owl hooted 
at them, and a big bird tried to swoop down and 
grab them, and a fox snapped his teeth at them, 
and an immense rat tried to nip poor Wig-Wag, 
but Peetie and Jackie took good care of him. 

Well, they hunted and hunted and hunted un- 
til they were very weary, but they couldn’t find 
W’here the lost doggie lived. Then Jackie said: 

“We will take you to our kennel-house, Wig- 
Wag, and keep you there until your folks come 
for you.” 

So Jackie and Peetie started for their house, 
and now listen, I’m not exaggerating a bit: No 
sooner had they come in sight of their kennel, 
79 


Finding a Lost Doggie 

than Peetle and Jackie saw their mamma and 
papa talking to a strange dog, and Wig-Wag 
cried out: 

“Oh, there’s my mamma! There’s my mam- 
ma! There she is!” and he ran right to her, fall- 
ing down seven times, he was so excited. 

And it was his mamma, sure enough. She had 
missed her little boy dog and had come in search 
of him, and one of the places she went to was 
Mrs. Bow Wow’s house. And, oh, how glad 
Wig-Wag was, and how glad his mother was, 
I can tell you! Then Wig-Wag and his mam- 
ma had supper at Peetie’s and Jackie’s house be- 
fore they started home, and Wig- Wag promised 
never to get lost again. 

Now, let me think. Oh, the story tomorrow 
night will be about Jackie in a basket. That is, 
if my cat doesn’t scratch me and bite a hole in 
my umbrella so the snow rains in. 


80 


STORY XIII 


JACKIE IN A BASKET 

Well, I’m glad to say that the cat didn’t 
scratch me yesterday, nor even bite a hole in the 
fire shovel, though he has very sharp claws. His 
name is Dick, and he can shut both eyes. Now 
about the story of Jackie in a basket. 

One day, when Jackie and Peetie were play- 
ing around in the yard, in front of the kennel, 
Jackie fell down, and stubbed his nose with the 
white spot on it. When he got up, and the tears 
were all done coming out of his eyes, for he cried 
a little, he saw Peetie looking at something yel- 
low on the ground. It looked somewhat like 
maple sugar. 

“What’s that?” asked Jackie. 

“I don’t know,” answered Peetie. “But I’ll 
soon find out. I’m going to bite it,” which he 
did, taking a good, big bite. 

“Well, what is it?” asked Jackie, as he saw 
his brother making some funny faces. 

“I don’t know,” replied Peetie, “but it tastes 
81 


Jackie in a Basket 


rather odd, to say the least. I don’t believe that 
I exactly like it.” 

“Let me try,” suggested Jackie, and he also 
took a big bite. Oh, I guess it must have been 
as big as a bite I once saw a boy take from an- 
other boy’s apple. 

“Well, how do you like it?” asked Peetie, as 
he saw Jackie making two funny faces, one right 
after the other. 

“It tastes just like some kind of whooping 
cough medicine,” replied Jackie. Just then Mrs. 
Bow Wow came to the door of the kennel-house, 
and when she saw what it was that the puppy 
dogs were chewing on, she cried out: 

“Oh, you foolish little dogs! Why, that is a 
cake of yellow soap 1 Leave it alone, sillies ! It 
will make you ill!” 

“Bur-r-r-r!” exclaimed Jackie, sort of shiver- 
ing, “what did you want to make me bite it for, 
Peetie?” 

“I didn’t make you,” answered Peetie, trying 
to get the taste of soap out of his mouth. “You 
did it yourself. But now I suppose I’ll get 
chicken pox, or measles, or something like that.” 

And, sure enough, it wasn’t a week after that 
before Peetie was taken dreadfully ill. He had 
a high fever, and his nose was hot, and his papa 
and mamma had to get up in the middle of the 
82 


Jackie in a Basket 


night, to give him medicine. But he didn’t get 
any better, and so Mrs. Bow Wow said: 

“I think, papa, you will have to go for Dr. 
Possum in the morning. And, in case Peetie 
should have something catching, like mumps, or 
the whooping cough, we had better put Jackie in 
another room. Then, maybe, he won’t get it.” 

So they put Jackie in another room, away 
from his brother, and when it was daylight, Dr. 
Possum came. 

“All, ha! AJi, hem!” the doctor exclaimed as 
he looked right through his glasses at Peetie. 
“Yes, indeed, he is a very sick boy.” 

“Was it the soap, doctor?” asked Peetie. 

“Ha, hum! I hardly believe it was the soap, 
and yet it might have been, too,” said the doctor 
carefully. “You have the epizootic in a very 
bad form. But I can cure you.” 

“Is it catching, doctor?” asked Mamma Bow 
Wow. 

“It is very catching,” said Dr. Possum, as he 
made Peetie put out his tongue, so he could 
squint at it. “The epizootic is as catching as fish, 
and they are very catching, if you know how to 
catch them. Well, I will leave some medicine, 
but, mind you, Jackie must not be in the same 
room with Peetie, nor even in the same kennel. 

83 


Jackie in a Basket 


Then Jackie will not get the epizootic,” said 
Dr. Possum. 

So Jackie was taken over to Mrs. Wibble- 
wobble’s house, to stay until Peetie got well. 

Now Jackie loved his brother very much, and 
he felt quite badly when he couldn’t see him and 
play with him ; but of course he knew it was best 
to keep away, and not catch the epizootic, so 
Jackie didn’t make a fuss. But, as the days 
went on, he grew more and more lonesome, 
though Alice and Lulu and Jimmie Wibble- 
wobble were very kind to Jackie, and played all 
sorts of games with him. 

‘T just wish I could see Peetie,” Jackie said, 
many times; and he kept thinking of this day 
after day. But Peetie was in a room on the sec- 
ond floor, and his bed was some distance away 
from the window, so he couldn’t look out and see 
Jackie, and Jackie could not look up and see 
Peetie, which was too bad, of course. 

At last it got to a point where poor Jackie was 
almost sick himself, because of not seeing his 
brother, but no one could think of a way by which 
he could look in the high window; for Jackie 
couldn’t climb a ladder, you know, and Peetie 
couldn’t be moved downstairs. 

Jimmie Wibble wobble, however, being a very 
84 . 


Jackie in a Basket 


smart little boy duck, exclaimed one day: 
have it! I know how Jackie can see Peetie!’’ 

‘‘How?’’ asked Lulu. 

“We will put him in a basket, and pull him 
up to the window, and then he can look in and 
see his brother,” spoke Jimmie. 

“But how can we pull the basket up to the 
window?” inquired Alice, as she tied her hair 
ribbon in a double bow. 

“We’ll pull it up with a rope,” explained Jim- 
mie. “I will get the rope.” 

“And I’ll get the basket,” agreed Lulu. 

“And I’ll help pull it up,” promised Alice, as 
she smoothed do^vn her apron. 

But when they had the rope and the basket 
they were almost as badly off as before, for the 
ducks couldn’t get the rope up high over the 
top of the kennel-house, so that they might hoist 
up the basket containing Jackie. 

You see, the ducks hadn’t thought that they 
would need a place around which to slip the rope, 
so it would work up and down, just as a pulley 
clothes line goes back and forth across the yard. 
Well, they felt quite badly about it, and Jackie 
was much disappointed, for he feared he would 
not see his brother in a long, long time. Then, 
all at once. Lulu cried out: 

“Oh, I know the very thing! We’ll get the 
85 


Jackie in a Basket 


kind fish hawk to fly up with the rope, just as he 
once flew to the city with Johnnie and Billie 
Bushy tail. The fish hawk will fix the rope for 
us.’’ 

Of course every one thought that a fine plan. 
So they telephoned for the fish hawk, who came 
sailing through the air as soon as you can fire a 
gun, if you know how. He took the rope in his 
strong beak, and he wasn’t more than two flap- 
jacks in putting it around a smooth limb of a 
tree near the kennel-house, so that it could be 
pulled up and down like an elevator. Then the 
basket was tied to the rope, and Jackie got in 
the basket, and all his friends, including the fish 
hawk, pulled on the cord, and up he went, like a 
sky rocket, right to the window of Peetie’s room. 
Then Jackie could look in and he could see 
Peetie, who suddenly hopped out of bed and 
stuck his head out of the window. And Peetie 
and Jackie could speak to each other and there 
was no danger of Jackie catching the epizootic. 

“Well, it wasn’t a week after that before Pee- 
tie was all well, and could play out with Jackie 
and his friends. But he never forgot how 
cleverly Jackie came to see him in the basket. 

Now if I don’t catch the epizootic myself and 
sneeze my rubbers off. I’ll tell you tomorrow 
night about Peetie saving Uncle Wiggily’s 
crutch. 86 


STORY XIV 


SAVING UNCLE WIGGILY’s CRUTCH 

Peetie Bow Wow was feeling pretty well, af- 
ter getting over the epizootic, and he and Jackie 
were walking along in the fields back of the ken- 
nel-house one day. 

“Let’s get up a ball game,” suggested Jackie. 

“Who’ll play?” Peetie wanted to know. “You 
and I can’t play a game all by our own selves.” 

“Maybe Jimmie Wibblewobble will come 
along, or Sammie Littletail, or Billie and John- 
nie Bushytail,” suggested Jackie, who was very 
fond of playing ball. The two puppy dogs 
waited some time, but none of their friends came 
along, and, pretty soon, Mrs. Bow Wow called: 

“Jackie! Jackie! Come here! I want you to 
go to the store for me.” 

“Aw, can’t Peetie go?” asked Jackie, lying 
down and rolling in the dust, in order to scratch 
his back. 

“Oh, Jackie! Get right up out of that dirt 
this instant!” cried his mamma, who had come 
87 


Saving Uncle Wiggily’s Crutch 


around the corner of the kennel and had seen 
him. “The idea! With your good jacket and 
trousers, too! Get right up!’’ 

“Oh, ma, this is clean sand,” replied Jackie, 
as he brushed himself off. “It won’t hurt my 
clothes. Besides my back itched me. But I 
don’t want to go to the store. Let Peetie go.” 

“No,” said Mrs. Bow Wow, “Peetie has been 
ill, you know, and I don’t want him to walk so 
far in the hot sun. You run on, like a good boy, 
and get a pound of butter, to spread on the dog 
and puppy biscuits we shall have for supper to- 
night, and also get some sweet crackers, and you 
may eat two crackers on the way home.” 

Then, whether Jackie felt sorry for Peetie, 
who had been ill, or whether it was because he 
could have two sweet crackers, I can’t say for 
sure, but, anyhow, he ran off to the store as 
fast as he could go, holding the money tightly in 
his paw. 

Well, Peetie, who was left all alone, started 
down the road, walking slowly. He hadn’t gone 
very far before he heard a rustling in the bushes, 
and he stopped, short, and looked in under a patch 
of briars, with both ears cocked up, to see what 
was coming out. He saw a sharp nose, and two 
bright eyes, and out jumped a big fox! 

“Now I’ve got you!” cried the fox, and he 


Saving Uncle Wiggily’s Crutch 

was just going to grab Peetie, when who should 
come down the road, limping on his crutch, but 
Uncle Wiggily Longears. He, too, saw the bad 
fox, and he cried out: 

“Skedaddle! You run away from here, and 
let Peetie Bow Wow alone!” and Uncle Wiggily 
pointed both his ears at the fox so sharply that the 
bad animal was glad enough to slink back into 
the bushes, and disappear, for fear the ears would 
stick right through him. It’s a good thing to 
have sharp ears. 

“Oh, I’m ever so much obliged to you. Uncle 
Wiggily,” said Peetie, making a low bow, and 
almost tumbling over. 

“Ha! that is a mere nothing — a trifle,” said 
the old gentleman rabbit. “Come, I will walk 
along with you, and if any one else tries to harm 
you I’ll hit them with my crutch.” You see, the 
old gentleman rabbit still had his crutch, for, 
though the red fairy cured him of rheumatism 
for a time, it came back, because he got his feet 
wet at a ball game. 

So Uncle Wiggily and Peetie walked along 
and pretty soon, oh, I guess, in about two or 
three hops, and a couple of barks, they came to 
a bridge over a little brook. And then, if some- 
thing unlucky didn’t occur! Oh, it’s terrible the 
89 


Saving Uncle Wiggily’s Crutch 

way things will sometimes happen in this world, 
isn’t it? 

Uncle Wiggily was leaning on his crutch, 
when, all at once it slipped and went bouncing 
off the bridge into the water. Right down it 
went, that nice cornstalk crutch which Nurse 
Jane Fuzzy- Wuzzy had gnawed out for Uncle 
Wiggily; right down, splash! 

“Oh, dear!” cried the old rabbit. “There it 
goes!” 

And, surely enough, the crutch was going right 
down stream like a little boat! 

“I know how we can get it!” cried Peetie. 

“How?” asked Uncle Wiggily, standing right 
in the middle of the bridge and jumping up and 
down like a bouncing rubber ball. You see, he 
couldn’t walk without his crutch. “How will we 
get it?” he cried. 

“Get a rope and throw it after the crutch so 
the rope will wind around the handle, and then 
we can pull it out,” went on the puppy dog. 

“But we haven’t any rope,” objected Uncle 
Wiggily. 

“That’s so,” admitted Peetie, scratching his 
left ear. He hadn’t thought of that. 

“And the crutch is going farther and farther 
down the stream!” cried the old rabbit. “Oh, 
dear! What ever shall I do? I never can walk 


90 


Saving Uncle Wiggily’s Crutch 


without my crutch, and I’ll have to stay here un- 
til Jane Fuzzy- Wuzzy gnaws me out another. 
Oh, dear ! If only a red fairy would come along 
now, or a pink one, or a blue one, of even a skil- 
ligimink colored one; she would save my crutch 
for me!” 

“I’ll save it!” cried Peetie. 

“How?” asked Uncle Wiggily. 

“I’ll get a long tree branch and with it I’ll 
poke the crutch up on shore out of the water,” 
answered Peetie. 

But when he tried to do that he found that 
the long tree branch was too heavy for him to 
lift, and Uncle Wiggily couldn’t help him, and 
so the crutch went drifting farther and farther 
away. 

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Uncle Wiggily, and he 
felt so badly that he made his nose twinkle like 
two stars and a comet on a frosty night. 

“Ha!” cried Peetie suddenly, “I have just 
thought of the best plan to save your crutch!” 
And he clapped his paws in delight. 

“What is it?” asked the old rabbit, and his 
nose stopped twinkling. 

“I will jump in, grap it in my teeth, and swim 
ashore with it,” replied the puppy dog. “I once 
saw my father bring a long stick ashore that 
way.” 


Saving Uncle Wiggily’s CrutcK 

‘‘Good!” cried Uncle Wiggily. “I suppose 
you should have done that first, but better late 
than not at all.” 

So Peetie pulled off his coat and jumped 
right in that brook. Right in he jumped, and 
away he swam I It was hard work, for the crutch 
was drifting farther, and farther, and farther 
away; but at last the puppy dog managed to 
grab it, and started to swim back. 

This was harder still, but at last Peetie got 
to shore; and maybe Uncle Wiggily wasn’t glad 
to get his crutch back! He gave Peetie five 
pieces of chocolate-covered maple sugar; yes, 
that’s what he did! Now if the boys don’t throw 
a baseball through my window and scare the 
piano into playing a Yankee Doodle tune. I’ll 
tell you tomorrow night about Peetie and Jackie 
making a swing, 


STORY XV 


JACKIE AND PEETIE MAKE A SWING 

When Jackie got back from the store and 
learned about his brother Peetie saving Uncle 
Wiggily’s crutch, which was the story I told you 
last night, why Jackie felt somewhat queer and 
sad. 

“Yes,” he said rather peevish-like, “I had to 
go to the store, and Peetie stayed home, and got 
some chocolate-covered maple sugar.” 

“But you had some sweet crackers,” said his 
mamma. “Besides, see . what Peetie did; he 
jumped right in the brook.” 

“I’d have done it, if I had been there,” de- 
clared Jackie, rather sorrowful-like. “I wish I 
had some money to buy some candy with.” 

“I know how to make money,” said Peetie. 

“How?” asked Jackie, eagerly. 

“We’ll get up a show, and charge every one 
two cents to come in and see us act,” went on 
Peetie. “I’ll be a clown, and you can be an 
elephant, and I’ll jump over your back, and pre- 
93 


Jackie and Peetie Make a Swing 


tend to fall down, and you can pretend to step 
on me, and it will be lots of fun,’’ and Peetie felt 
so good he gave his brother some of the chocolate- 
covered maple sugar which Uncle Wiggily had 
given him. 

“Oh, I’d rather be the clown,” spoke Jackie. 
“Besides I can’t be an an elephant.” 

“Why, not?” 

“We can’t make the elephant’s trunk, and it 
would be a funny looking elephant without a 
trunk.” 

“I don’t believe you boys had better try to get 
up a show yet a while,” said Mamma Bow Wow. 
“Some day you may,” and, sure enough, one day 
Peetie and Jaekie did, but I’ll tell you about that 
some other time. 

“But what can we do, mamma?” asked Peetie. 

“Why don’t you put up a swing under the old 
apple tree?” asked Mrs. Bow Wow. “I think 
that would be nice.” 

“It will be lots of fun,” exclaimed Jackie. 
“We’ll charge every one two cents to swing in it.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” said the puppy dogs’ 
mamma. “I’d let my friends swing in it for 
nothing.” 

“All right,” agreed Jackie, “we will.” 

“And we can use the rope that Jackie was 
94 


Jackie and Peetie Make a Swing 

hoisted up to my window with, the time I was 
sick,” suggested Peetie. 

So the two little doggie boys went out to make 
their swing, but they had trouble almost the first 
thing. You see, to make a swing you have to 
fasten a rope on a high limb of a tree, but as 
neither J ackie nor Peetie could climb a tree, they 
couldn’t get the rope up. 

“What shall we do?” asked Peetie, as he sat 
down on the ground, and chew^ed one end of the 
rope, while Jackie chewed the other end. “I 
guess we can’t make a swing.” 

“No, I guess not,” agreed Jackie. Then who 
should come along but Uncle Wiggily, limping 
on the crutch that Peetie had saved from the 
water. 

“What are you doing, boys?” asked Uncle 
Wiggily. 

“Trying to make a swing,” answered Peetie. 
“Can you climb a tree, and fasten the rope, Uncle 
Wiggily?” 

“No,” said the old rabbit. “I can’t. Perhaps 
I might do it if I weren’t lame, but, as it is,I 
can’t.” Then along came Sammie and Susie 
Littletail, but they couldn’t climb the tree, either. 

They all sat and looked first at the rope and 
then at the apple tree and then at each other, 
but w^ould you believe me, that didn’t do a bit of 
95 


Jackie and Peetie Make a Swing 

good, honestly! The swing was as far off as 
ever from being made. 

Well, in about three quacks, along came Lulu 
and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble. They 
wanted to know what Peetie and Jackie were 
doing, and when they were told, they said they* 
were sorry, but they couldn’t climb a tree, either ; 
though Jimmie once did, but he couldn’t get 
down until the kind fish hawk helped him. 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to give up the 
swing,” spoke Peetie, sorrowful-like. Then, if 
along didn’t come Bawly and Bully, the twin 
frogs. But of course they couldn’t climb a tree. 

“Maybe if I sang a little song it would help,” 
suggested Bawly after a while. 

“All right, sing,” said Jackie, so Bawly sang 
this song: 

“Swing high, swing low, 

Here we are and here we go. 

Up, and up, and up we swing. 

Now the second verse we’ll sing.” 

Then they all sang this second verse: 

“If the rope would kindly now. 

Fix itself upon a bough. 

We could swing and swing and swing. 

Up as high as anything.” 

■ 96 


Jackie and Peetie Make a Swing 

They all thought the rope would jump up and 
fasten itself to the apple tree limb, but it didn’t 
and they were quite disappointed. But wait. 
Something is going to happen immediately, which 
is very soon. 

Along came Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, and 
Sister Sallie, and as soon as they heard about 
the swing, and how Peetie and Jackie couldn’t 
get the rope up, if those squirrels didn’t take 
hold of it, and run up the tree with it, and fasten 
it to a limb in about two frisks of their tails. 

Well, there was the rope, all fixed in the tree, 
and the next minute along came Nurse Jane 
Fuzzy- Wuzzy; and with her sharp teeth she 
gnawed out a board to fit on the rope for them 
to sit on. 

‘‘Oh, what a lovely swing!” cried Alice Wib- 
blewobble. “I think we ought to bring Peetie 
and Jackie something nice for making it.” 

They all thought the same thing, so Billie and 
Johnnie Bushytail, and Sister Sallie brought 
nuts, and Sammie and Susie Littletail brought 
cabbage leaves, and turnips and carrots, and the 
ducks brought cornmeal, and snails, and sweet 
flagroot, but the funny part of it was that the 
puppy dogs didn’t like any of those things. 

But, listen. In his pocket Uncle Wiggily 
Longears had some more chocolate-covered 
97 


Jackie and Peetie Make a Swing 


maple sugar that he had made, and he gave this 
to the doggies, who ate it all up, even to the 
crumbs. Then after each of the animals had 
eaten the different things they had brought, they 
all took turns in the swing, going high and low; 
and they sang again the little song Bawly the 
frog had taught them, and they swung up as high 
as “anything,” which is very high, indeed. Oh 
3^es, and a circus balloon, colored red, white and 
blue, besides. Oh! they had a grand time; and 
I vnsh you could have been there. 

Now, listen once more: Tomorrow night, if 
none of you is bitten by a butterfly with rings 
on its fingers and bells on its toes. I’ll tell you 
about Peetie and Jackie giving a show. 


98 


STORY XVI 


PEETIE AND JACKIE GIVE A SHOW 

None of you was bitten by a butterfly last 
night. I’m glad to say, or at least, if you were I 
did not hear about it. So I can tell you 
the story of how Jackie and Peetie gave a show. 
It happened this way: 

The two little puppy dogs were out playing 
in front of the kennel one day, when, all of a 
sudden, Jackie called out: 

‘T say, Peetie, let’s do something!” 

“What shall we do?” asked Peetie, who was 
watching a fly that was buzzing around his nose. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” answered his brother. 
“Suppose we run away again? I think it was 
fun that time we went off in the woods ; at least 
it was fun after we got home.” 

“No, indeed. I’ll not run away again,” said 
Peetie. “It’s too nice around the kennel-house. 
Think of something else, J ackie.” 

“Well, how would you like to give a show, so 
Johnnie and Billie Bushy tail, and Sammie and 
99 


Peetie and Jackie Give a Show 


Susie Littletail, and the three Wibblewobbles 
could come to it!” 

“Do you suppose we could give a show?” 

“Of course. All you have to do is to put up 
a tent, charge admission, and do some tricks. 
Then everybody comes to see what’s inside the 
tent, and there you are.” 

“What admission could we charge?” asked 
Peetie. “Pins, or something like that?” 

“Not pins,” decided Jackie. “Pins are not 
good to eat, and they stick you something ter- 
rible. No, we will charge so many bones to come 
to our show. Every one who comes will have to 
bring a bone.” 

“A bone with meat on it?” asked Peetie. 

“Of course,” replied Jackie, “nice, meaty, 
juicy bones. You see, the rabbits and squirrels 
and ducks don’t like bones, so they won’t in the 
least mind bringing them to pay their way into 
our show. But we can eat the bones, you know,” 
and Jackie winked both eyes at his brother, and 
then the two little puppy dogs laughed so hard 
that they rolled over and over and over. 

“The first thing to do is to make the tent,” 
said Jackie after he had stopped laughing. “We 
Mill make it out of some old bags.” So they got 
some old bags that potatoes had once been in, 
and they ripped the bags open with their sharp 
100 


Peetie and Jackie Give a Show 


teeth, and then they got their mamina to sew the 
pieces together, and pretty soon, oh, I guess in 
about two or three barks, if they didn’t have as 
fine a tent as a puppy dog could wish. 

“Now,” said Jackie, “we are ready to give the 
show. You and I will dress up in our old suits, 
like clowns, and we will put some seats in the 
tent, and we’ll jump over the saw-horse, and 
stand on our heads and on our tails, and jump 
over each other’s backs, and through barrel hoops, 
and I guess everybody will be glad to pay a bone 
or two to see us. We will charge one bone to 
come in, and two bones for a reserved seat.” 

So the puppy dogs printed some paper signs 
about their show, and fastened the signs to trees, 
and in the woods, and some of the posters they 
gave to the kind fish hawk to hold up in the air 
where every one could see them. 

Then the show was ready to begin. First, 
Sammie and Susie Littletail came, and behind 
them Nurse Jane Fuzzy- Wuzzy, and, would you 
believe it, if Uncle Wiggily Longears wasn’t 
there, too! He said he really didn’t care much 
about the show, but he wanted to be sure Sam- 
mie and Susie were all right. Each one paid a 
bone to get in, and Uncle Wiggily paid two 
bones, because he wanted a reserved seat, where 
he could watch Sammie and Susie, you know. 

101 


Peetie and Jackie Give a Show 


Then Johnnie and Billie Bushytail came, and 
Jennie Chipmunk, and Sister Sallie, and the 
three Wibblewobble children, and pretty soon 
the tent was full. Yes, Bully and Bawly, the 
two frog boys, were there also. 

Peetie and Jackie were behind the stage, dress- 
ing up, and pretty soon Jackie came out, made 
a low bow and said: 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the show is about to 
begin,” and the people clapped like anything; 
yes, they did, honestly. 

“The first number on the program,” went on 
Jackie,” will be a little song by my brother, 
Peetie.” 

Then Peetie came out, dressed up too funny 
for any use, in an old dress of his mother’s, with 
a pink sunbonnet, and on his feet were tied two 
old tin pans. Then he made a bow and began 
to sing this song: 

“We hope you’ll like our little show. 

Which shortly we will start. 

We’re going through some funny tricks 
And I will do my part. 

My brother, he will jump so high 
You scarce can see him go. 

And if I do not tumble down 
I’ll stand upon my toe. 

102 


Peetie and Jackie Give a Show 


‘‘We’re going to jump through barrel hoops 
And turn a somersault. 

We’ll do the double tumble-down 
Just as two doggies ought. 

We’ll dance and cut some capers; 

We’ll hop about and sing. 

And do the wally-wub, a trick 
That’s hard as anything.” 

Well, you should have heard the audience clap 
at that. Uncle Wiggily nearly broke his glasses. 
Then the show started. 

Jackie Bow Wow gave a big jump, and 
touched the top of the tent before he came down, 
and then, after Peetie had danced with the tin 
pans on his feet, making a terrible clatter, he 
stood upon his toe, as bold as bold could be, and 
he didn’t fall down once. 

Then there was some more clapping and Pee- 
tie brought out some barrel hoops covered with 
paper. Well, I wish you could have seen Jackie 
jump through them. It was worth three bones 
and a half at the very least. He broke through 
the paper as easily as you can eat pie. 

Then the two doggies danced, and sang, and 
turned double somersaults and single ones, and 
forward and backward ones, and then came the 
103 


Peetie and Jackie Give a Show 


“wally-wub/’ which is a very hard trick, indeed; 
oh, most difficult! 

To do it, Jackie stood up straight on the 
end of his tail, and Peetie tried to stand on the 
end of his tail on Jackie’s nose. Only they didn’t 
do it, and they both tumbled down ker-thump! 
and fell into a barrel, and Uncle Wiggily had to 
help them out. 

But that was the only accident that happened, 
and every one liked the show so much that Jackie 
and Peetie did it all over again. Every one said 
it was worth all the bones they had brought. 
There were quite a number of juicy bones, which 
made fine meals for the two puppy dogs for sev- 
eral days and a few left over for good measure. 
Well, the show ended at dusk, and every one went 
home, and Jackie and Peetie were very proud of 
themselves you may be sure. 

Now the story tomorrow night is going to be 
about Jackie on a windmill; that is if our cow 
doesn’t get lost in the woods and ring the bell in 
the church steeple with her crinkly horns. 


104 


STORY XVII 


JACKIE ON A WINDMILL 

For several days after Jackie and Peetie Bow 
Wow had given their show, every one was talk- 
ing about it, saying how fine it was. 

“We’re going to have a circus down in our 
pond, some day,” said Bully, the frog. 

“That’s what we are,” added Bawly, his 
brother, and he whistled through his teeth as 
cute as could be, a real nice tune it was, too, all 
about cool, green water, and flowers growing in 
it, and birds singing, and mosquitoes flying about 
and buzzing. 

“Say, Jackie, if we have a show,” went on 
Bully, “will you and Peetie come to it?” 

“Of course we will,” replied Jackie, “but just 
now we are going for a walk and maybe we will 
have an adventure.” 

“Where are you going?” asked the frog. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” answered Jackie, care- 
less-like. “One never knows where one is going 
when one wishes to meet with an adventure,” 
105 


Jackie on a Windmill 


and he dug a little hole in the ground, and looked 
down in it to see if by any chance there might be 
a bit of puppy biscuit there. 

But there wasn’t, and so, pretty soon, Peetie 
and Jackie started off across the fields, all ready 
for something to happen. And something did 
happen, as you shall hear, in about two buzzes 
of the littlest mosquito that ever bit a baby. 

Well, they went on and on, did Peetie and 
J ackie, and in about six and a half tumbles they 
found themselves in a big field, which was owned 
by a farmer, only the farmer wasn’t there that 
day, having gone to the village to get the mail. 

Well, the two puppy dogs started through this 
field, when, all of a sudden, if they didn’t hear 
the funniest squeaking, squawking noise that ever 
was. It w^as just like a gate svdnging on rusty 
hinges or two little pigs caught fast under a rail 
fence, and squealing as hard as they could squeal. 

"‘My goodness me sakes alive and a bottle of 
horse radish!” cried Peetie, “what’s that?” 

“I don’t know, answered Jackie, “but I think 
it is an adventure coming this way.” 

“Maybe it’s an automobile,” suggested Peetie. 
“They are adventures, sometimes.” 

Then they looked up, and would you believe 
me? if high in the air, on top of a tower such 
as you can build with your blocks (only this one 
106 


Jackie on a Windmill 


was of iron), right on top of this tall tower, I 
say, was a big wheel going around, and around, 
and around; oh, ever so many times; more than 
I can count. 

“Ha! That’s what made the noise,” said 
J ackie, and Peetie said the same thing. “I won- 
der what it can be?” went on Jackie. You see 
he didn’t know it was a windmill. 

Then the two little puppy dogs stood, and 
looked at the wheel going around, and around, 
and they put their legs far apart so they wouldn’t 
fall over, and they cocked up their ears and 
opened their eyes as wide as they could open 
them, so that they might see the windmill better. 
But still they didn’t know what it was. Finally, 
after Jackie had barked three times, which al- 
ways made him feel better, he called out: 

“Oh, now I know what that is. It’s a wheel 
like the one in the cage where Johnnie and Billie 
Bushytail’s papa and mamma the nice squirrels 
once lived. 

“A wheel in a cage?” asked Peetie, who didn’t 
know what his brother meant. 

“Yes ; you know, in a squirrel cage. The squir- 
rels get in and have a fine ride, just like on a 
merry-go-round. That’s what this is, only I 
never saw such a big wheel before. My! Look 
at it go whizzing around! I’m going to have a 
107 


Jackie on a Windmill 


ride on it. You don’t have to pay anything, and 
it’s better than a merry-go-round.” 

“Oh, don’t get on it!” pleaded Peetie. “It’s 
terrible high, and you might fall. Besides, it 
goes fearful fast.” 

“Oh! I’m not afraid,” answered Jackie. “I 
think I can climb up to it, and, when I do, I’ll 
call down to you, and you can come up, too.” 

Well, Jackie started to climb up the wind mill 
tower. It was hard work, and he slipped back 
several times, just like the frog in the well, but 
iinally he found a place where there was a sort 
of ladder, like a pair of stairs, and up this the 
little puppy dog managed to scramble. Up and 
up he went, higher and higher, until Peetie was 
nearly dizzy from watching him. Up and up 
went Jackie, until finally, just like Jack and the 
Bean Stalk, there he was right on top, close to 
the wheel that was going around and around as 
fast as fast could be. 

“Look out!” cried Peetie. “Don’t get on 
while it’s going so fast.” 

“I won’t,” answered Jackie, and then he 
waited until the windmill stopped and slowed up, 
when the wind didn’t blow so hard, and then, if 
you’U take my word for it, if Jackie didn’t grab 
hold of the outside part or rim of that big wheel 
and cling fast by his teeth and his legs. 

108 


Jackie on a Windmill 


“Now watch me ride!” he cried to Peetie on 
the ground below. 

Well, at that instant there came a strong 
breeze, the kind that make kites sail high up in 
the air, and the wheel began to turn around. 
First it went slowly and then it went fast, and 
then it went faster, and then it went fastest, and 
then it went whi-z-z-z ! which is too utterly speedy 
for anything. 

“Here I go!” cried Jackie, and indeed he was 
going. At first it was fun, but, after a bit, he 
went so fast that he got dizzy. Then he felt him- 
self slipping off. Oh, how hard he tried to hold 
on, by his teeth and legs, but he couldn’t; and 
he slipped more and more, and got dizzier, and 
more dizzy. 

“Oh Peetie! Can’t you help me?” he cried, but 
Peetie couldn’t, though he barked as hard as ever 
he could, which shows that he had a kind heart. 

Well, finally the wheel went so fast that poor 
Jackie was tossed off — right off ; and through 
the air he went, sailing, and scooting along just 
like a comet. Then maybe he wasn’t frightened, 
for he knew that when he hit the ground there 
was going to be trouble. 

But he didn’t hit the ground! No, sir, that 
was the funny part of it. He was thrown so far 
and so high by the wheel of the windmill, that 
109 


Jackie on a Windmill 


he went away over in the farmer’s yard, where, 
pinned across two clothes lines there was a big 
lace curtain, all spread out to dry. 

Well, believe me, if Jackie didn’t come down 
in that lajce curtain, which was just like the big 
net the circus trapeze performers fall into. And 
Jackie wasn’t hurt a bit, only the lace curtain 
was torn, but that didn’t matter very much, you 
know. Then J ackie jumped out of the curtain- 
net, and ran home with Peetie, and he never rode 
on a windmill again. 

Now if you don’t step in any chewing gum 
and make the kitchen oil cloth all sticky, I’ll tell 
you tomorrow night about Peetie hiding a bone. 


110 


STORY XVIII 


PEETIE HIDES A BONE 

Once upon a time, as Peetie Bow Wow was 
walking through the woods, in a place that was 
not very dark and dismal, but which was bright 
and beautiful, with flowers growing all about, 
what do you suppose he found? No, it wasn’t 
a golden box filled with diamonds; that belongs 
in a fairy story — but he found a nice, big, juicy 
bone, with enough meat on it to last for two 
meals, or, maybe, three meals and part of another 
one. 

Oh, it was the nicest bone you can imagine! 
I don’t s’pose you children care much about 
bones, but you know puppy-dogs just love them, 
better even than candy and ice cream cones. 
Well, when Peetie found this bone, he felt very 
happy. 

“I’ll hide it away until I’m good and hungry,” 
he said to himself, for he had just eaten a nice 
dinner in the kennel-house. “I might put this 
bone in a deep hole, to keep the flies away from 

111 


Peetie Hides a Bone 


it,” he went on, “and then, some day, maybe 
Christmas, or New Years, or Fourth of July, 
Jackie and I will dig it up and have a fine feast.” 

You see, Peetie didn’t forget his brother, even 
if Jackie wasn’t with him when the bone was 
found. I suppose there are some puppy dogs 
who wouldn’t have been so kind and thoughtful, 
hut Peetie wasn’t one of those. So he took his 
treasure up in his strong, white teeth, and he 
trotted off through the woods to hide it. 

“I must look for a good, safe place,” he 
thought, “because this is such a fine bone that 
almost any one would be glad to get it, and if I 
don’t hide it well, a burglar might come along 
and take it.” 

So Peetie looked for a secure place in which 
to hide the dainty. First he thought he would 
put it in an old hollow stump, and then he de- 
cided that wouldn’t do, for owls live in hollow 
stumps, and owls like the meat that comes off 
bones. 

But after the little puppy dog had gone on, 
and on, through the woods for quite a distance 
he came to a nice quiet place where the ground 
was soft. 

“I’ll hide it here,” he said, and he began to 
dig a hole, and pretty soon he had it large en- 
ough to satisfy him. Into that hole Peetie 
112 


Peetie Hides a Bone 


pushed the bone. It seemed to disappear rather 
suddenly, he thought, but that did not bother 
him, for he believed he could dig it up again 
when he wanted it. 

So he trotted back home, and the first thing 
he knew he met Jackie. 

“Oh!’’ he cried, “I just found the loveliest 
bone you ever dreamed of!” 

“Did you eat it all up?” asked Jackie, sus- 
picious-like. 

“No,” answered Peetie. “I buried it, and 
Fourth of July you and I will dig it up and have 
a fine feast.” 

“Good!” cried Jackie. “Very good, indeed. 
Thank you, Peetie!” 

Well, just naturally, those two little puppy 
dogs couldn’t wait until Fourth of July came 
to dig up that bone. No, sir; if they didn’t get 
hungry on Decoration Day, and off they started 
to where their fine dinner was buried, intending 
to dig it up. 

Well, they found the spot all right, for Pee- 
tie had marked it with a white stone, and they 
began to dig. They dug and they dug and they 
dug, but, oh, dear me, suz-dud ! there wasn’t any 
bone there! Now, what do you think about that, 
eh? 


113 


Peetie Hides a Bone 


“Are you sure you put it here?” asked Jackie, 
as he stopped digging and looked at Peetie. 

“Yep, I’m sure,” answered Peetie. 

“Then some one has been here and dug it up,” 
insisted Jackie, quite savagely. “I wish I knew 
who had done it.” 

“Oh, I don’t believe any one dug it up,” re- 
marked Peetie, after he had carefully looked 
about. “I could tell if any stranger had been 
snooping here,” and he put his nose to the ground 
and sniffed real hard. 

Well, the two puppy dogs dug some more, 
and went deeper down, but there wasn’t any 
bone, and oh, how disappointed they were! They 
had been counting so much on gnawing it, one 
on one end and one on the other, and now it was 
gone! 

I know you feel sorry for them, but just you 
wait and see what happens. It will take place 
almost in the twinkling of an eye. As they were 
sitting there, looking very sad, along came Bully, 
the frog. 

“What were you digging for?” he asked, with 
two short croaks and a long one. 

“A bone that Peetie buried there,” answered 
J ackie. 

“Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho!” laughed Bully, the frog. 

114 


Peetie Hides a Bone 


‘‘Why are you laughing?’' inquired Peetie, 
indignant-like. 

“Why, the idea of burying a bone there!” ex- 
claimed the frog. “Don’t you know that is an 
old well? I used to live in it, but it was closed 
up long ago, and covered over with boards, and 
dirt was put on top of them. You must have 
dug down to the boards and your bone has fallen 
through a hole in the well-cover, and now is deep 
down in the water.” 

“That’s just it!” declared Peetie, after think- 
ing a moment, and recollecting how suddenly his 
treasure had disappeared. “My nice bone is 
down in the well! Oh, dear! Isn’t it terrible!” 

“Is the well deep?” asked Jackie. “Maybe I 
could go down in it.” 

“Oh, it is much too deep for you to go down,” 
replied Bully. “I am sorry I laughed at you, 
though. I did not know you felt so badly about 
it,” and he croaked real dismal-like to show how 
sorry he was. 

And, indeed, Peetie and Jackie felt very mis- 
erable over their loss. They tried every way 
they could think of to get back their bone, and 
Bully suggested all sorts of plans, and croaked 
as hard as he could, thinking perhaps that might 
help. The puppy dogs even started to dig a 
hole, so all the water would run out of the well, 
115 


Peetie Hides a Bone 


and leave it dry for them to go in, but they found 
they could never do that, so they had to stop! 

Then, all of a sudden, along came Jennie 
Chipmunk, on her way to the acorn store, and 
when she saw the puppy dogs, and the frog she 
wanted to know whak the trouble was. They 
told her, and Jennie Chipmunk said, as quick as 
a flash: 

“Why don’t you tie a string around Bully, 
lower him into the well, and let him grab hold of 
the bone? Then you can pull him up and the 
bone, too. I’ll help. Bully can go under water, 
you know.” 

“Of course, I can,” remarked the frog, 
proudly. And wasn’t Jennie Chipmunk smart 
to think of that? Well, I just guess she was! 

“WiU you go down for us. Bully?” asked 
Peetie. 

“Of course,” answered Bully, croaking away 
down in his throat. 

So they got a long piece of wild grapevine, 
for a rope, and tied it around the frog’s waist. 
Then they made a little bigger hole through the 
wooden well cover, and lowered Bully down. 
Oh, how slowly and carefully they lowered him, 
so he wouldn’t fall and be hurt. Dovm and 
down he went, a little at a time, and pretty soon 
he got to the water. 


116 


Peetie Hides a Bone 


Then he croaked to let his friends know, and 
they loosened their hold on the grapevine rope, 
keeping hold of the end. Next Bully dived be- 
neath the water, and got the bone. Then he 
jerked on the rope to show that he had it, and 
Peetie, Jackie and Jennie began to pull him up. 

It was hard work, but they managed to do it, 
and in a croak and a half, there was Bully on 
top, with the bone safe and sound. So Peetie 
and Jackie had their Decoration Day dinner, af- 
ter all, and maybe they weren’t thankful to Bully 
and Jennie! Now, in case the comet doesn’t lose 
any more of its tail, so it can wiggle it and make 
the baby laugh. I’ll tell you tomorrow night 
about the Bow Wows in a garden. 


117 


STORY XIX 


THE BOW WOWS IN A GARDEN 

One day, oh, I guess it must have been about a 
week after Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow got their 
bone up from the well, or, rather. Bully, the frog, 
got it for them; one day, I say, about a week 
after this, the two puppy dogs were walking 
along in the bright sunshine, listening to the birds 
sing, and smelling the flowers, and seeing the 
green grass wave in the wind. 

“Isn’t it a fine day!” exclaimed Peetie, and just 
as he said that he stumbled down, and bumped 
his nose on a sharp stone. But do you s’pose he 
minded that? Not the least bit. Up he got, and 
never cried even one tear. 

“Did you hurt yourself?” asked Jackie. 

“No,” replied his brother. “Isn’t it a fine 
day?” and he still thought so, even if he had fall- 
en down, which is not the way some folks would 
act after they had fallen down and bumped their 
noses, but then I s’pose they can’t help it. 

118 


The Bow Wows in a Garden 

“It is certainly one dandy day,” answered 
J ackie. “I would like to go to a ball game.” 

“There isn’t any this afternoon,” went on 
Peetie. “Sammie and Billie and Johnnie and all 
the fellows have gone fishing.” 

“I wish we’d gone, too,” spoke Jackie. “But 
can’t we do something?” 

“Oh, I guess so,” said Peetie. “Let’s walk 
along and see what we can find.” 

They hadn’t gone very far before they came to 
a place where the ground was all dug up. It was 
soft, and brown, and warm, and as smooth as a 
bed quilt. 

“Oh!” cried Jackie, “I guess some one has been 
burying bones here. Let’s see if we can dig a few 
up.” 

So they dug, and they dug, and they dug, but 
not a bone could they find, and they thought that 
was rather odd, because the ground was so nice 
and soft, with no stones in it, and they could dig 
it with their paws as easily as you can stick your 
finger in a lump of putty that the painter-man 
forgets and leaves behind him. 

“No bones here!” cried Peetie at last. “Maybe 
if we dig a little farther along we’ll find some.” 
So they started to dig in a new place, but land 
sakes la-de-da and a piece of butter! if a big man 
119 


The Bow Wows in a Garden 


didn’t suddenly run out of the bushes with a stick 
in his hand and call: 

“Here! You doggies get right out of that! 
The idea of you digging it up after I raked it 
smooth! Clear out now!” and he spoke real 
cross-like, and threw his stick at Peetie and 
J ackie, but I’m glad to say he didn’t hit them. 

Of course they ran away as fast as they could, 
and they both tumbled down several times, but 
they didn’t mind that. 

Finally they got far enough off so they 
couldn’t hear the man shouting at them, and then 
they had to stop, because they were all out of 
breath. And then, whom should they meet, but 
Lulu and Alice Wibblewobble, the two little duck 
girls. 

“Why are you running?” asked Lulu, as she 
threw a stone up in the air and whistled when it 
came down. 

“Because a man told us to run,” answered 
Peetie. “We were digging in a soft place he had 
made, and he chased us. We weren’t doing any 
harm either — only looking for bones.” 

“Oh, you silly little puppy dogs!” exclaimed 
Alice. “That was the man’s garden. He had 
made it all smooth so that he might plant things 
in it, and have them grow.” 

“Was that a garden?” asked Jackie. 

120 


The Bow Wows in a Garden 


‘Tt was,” replied Alice. 

“And what grows in it?” Peetie wanted to 
know. 

“Oh, lots of things,” said the little duck girl. 
“Onions, and radishes, and potatoes, and cabbage 
and ever so many things to eat that I can’t 
remember.” 

“But no bones?” asked Jackie. 

“I don’t think so,” answered Lulu. “But I 
don’t s’pose any one ever planted bones, so, of 
course, they couldn’t grow,” and then the two 
little duck girls walked on, leaving Peetie and 
J ackie standing there, quite puzzled. 

“I know what let’s do,” said Peetie, after a 
while. “Let’s make a garden and plant some 
bones in it. Then we won’t have to hunt them 
any more. They will grow for us.” 

“Of course,” cried Jackie. “And we’ll plant 
some puppy cakes, and some dog biscuit for papa 
and mamma. It will be just the thing. Come 
on!” 

So they hurried home, and, back of their kennel 
they began to make a garden. They dug up a 
place with their paws and then they rolled on 
their backs over and over in it, to make it smooth. 
Then they got some little bones and planted them 
in the earth, all in nice straight rows. 

121 


The Bow Wows in a Garden 


‘‘Now, pretty soon,” said Peetie, “those little 
bones will grow to be big bones.” 

Then they got some puppy cakes and planted 
them, in nice even rows, and then they went and 
got some dog biscuits from their mamma’s cup- 
board (for their mother wasn’t home) and they 
planted them. 

“Mamma and papa will be real glad we’ve 
made a garden,” said Jackie, and Peetie thought 
so, too. 

Well, if those two funny little puppy dogs 
didn’t sit and watch their garden all that day, ex- 
pecting the bones and puppy cakes and dog bis- 
cuits to grow up, like tomato vines, I suppose, 
with more bones and cakes on them, or just like 
peanuts, perhaps. But nothing happened, and 
pretty soon Peetie said: 

“Things are growing kind of slow, aren’t 
they?” 

“I’m afraid they are,” answered Jackie. 

“Perhaps we ought to water our garden,” sug- 
gested Peetie. “I think Alice said the man wa- 
tered his garden when it was dry.” 

“That’s a good idea,” decided Jackie. “We’ll 
w^ater ours then.” So they got the w^atering can, 
filled it at the tub where the horses drank, and 
sprinkled the ground. Then they sat down on 
their hind legs and watched their garden care- 
122 


The Bow Wows in a Garden 


fully, but still nothing happened, and it began to 
get dark. 

‘T guess nothing will gi’ow until to-morrow,” 
said Peetie as he looked anxiously at the brown 
earth, all wet in little puddles now. 

“We’ll sprinkle it again,” suggested his 
brother, and they poured more water on. Just 
then JVIrs. Bow Wow came home, having gone 
downtown to meet Mr. Bow Wow. 

“Whatever are you two puppy dogs doing?” 
she asked, when she saw Peetie and Jackie with 
the watering can. 

“Making a garden for bones to grow in,” said 
Peetie. 

“Oh, you dear little silly puppy dogs!” cried 
their mother, and she kissed them, because they 
were so thoughtful and good, even if they didn’t 
know any better than to plant bones. 

Then their papa told the doggies how it is that 
only seeds and things like that will sprout and 
grow in gardens, and when he had given Peetie 
and Jackie some chocolate covered puppy cakes 
he had brought home with him, they were quite 
happy, even if they didn’t have a garden of bones. 

To-morrow night’s story will be about Peetie 
and the bees — that is, if you don’t lose your lead 
pencil down the crack in the board walk where the 
angleworm lives with his little boy. 

123 


STORY XX 


PEETIE AND THE BEES 

The next day Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow 
went out to look at their garden. Nothing had 
come up in it, but by this time they knew better 
than to expect anything to grow there. 

“Weren’t we foolish to think bones would 
grow?” said Peetie. 

“Very foolish,” agreed Jackie. “But, say, we 
can dig up the dog biscuit and puppy cakes we 
planted, and eat them. They will be good.” 

“To be sure!” cried Peetie, quite delighted, 
and they dug so fast that the dirt flew up in a 
shower, and Mr. Cock A. Doodle, the big 
rooster, thought it was raining sand. 

Well, after they had eaten up all the pieces of 
biscuit and cake, Peetie and Jackie started to 
take a walk. They had not gone very far before 
they heard a rustling in some bushes that were 
beside the path, and they jumped back, just the 
least bit afraid. 

“Maybe that’s a fox!” said Peetie in a whisper. 

124 


Peetie and the Bees 


“It didn’t sound like a fox,” answered his 
brother. “It may have been those two bad owls 
that once before scared us when we ran away.” 

J ust then the rustling became louder, and what 
should come out of the bushes but a great, big, 
shaggy black dog. 

At first Peetie and Jackie feared they were go- 
ing to be frightened, for the big dog looked at 
them quite savagely they thought, but the very 
next instant he began to smile, and then he sang 
this little song, which goes like one of the nice 
tunes the kindergarten children sing. I don’t 
know which one, but perhaps some of you can 
tell. Anyhow, this is the song: 

“I’ve traveled many weary miles 
And now I am alone. 

Within these dark and dreary woods. 
Where there is not a bone. 

I pray you kindly, little dogs, 

Could you lend me some money? 

Or, if your purse is empty, quite. 

Please give me bread and honey. 

“I am so tired, I’m growing old. 

My eyesight is not good. 

I cannot see my way back home, 

I’d go there if I could. 

125 


Peetie and the Bees 


Perchance you two know of a spot. 

Where stands a fairy cupboard. 

And, if you do, please telephone 
To dear old Mother Hubbard.” 

“Who are you, if one may ask?” inquired 
Jackie, when the big black dog had ceased sing- 
ing, and had made a low bow. 

“Is it possible you don’t know who I am?” 
asked the dog, who had sung. “Why, I am sur- 
prised at you. I am the only dog Mother Hub- 
hard ever had. She went to get me a bone, but, 
very foolishly I went out to see a circus parade 
while she was gone, and I lost my way back home. 
I’ve been lost ever since, and I’m getting tired of 
it. I don’t s’pose you know where I live, do 
you?” 

“No,” answered Peetie and Jackie together. 
“We don’t.” 

“I was afraid you didn’t,” resumed Mother 
Hubbard’s dog. “By the way, you haven’t any 
honey about you, I s’pose?” and he looked at 
them very sharply. 

“No,” answered Peetie, “we haven’t. What is 
honey?” 

“I am once more surprised,” went on the big 
dog. “Why, honey is sweet stuff, made by a bee, 
from flowers, and it is the most delicious morsel 
126 


Peetie and the Bees 


you ever tasted. It makes my mouth water even 
to think of it,” and honestly if that dog’s mouth 
didn’t get full of water then and there, which 
was a good thing, as he was very thirsty. 

“It sounds fine,” spoke Jackie. “I think I’d 
like some honey.” 

“I know where we can get some,” went on the 
big dog, eagerly. “There is a hive of bees not far 
away. I would go and get some honey out, my- 
self, but I can’t see very well. One of you could 
do it much better.” 

“Will the bees let us have it?” asked Peetie. 

“Oh, yes,” said the big dog, careless like. Now 
I call that rather mean of him, for he never' said 
a word about how sharply bees can sting, and 
Peetie and Jackie didn’t know that. 

“I’ll get the honey if you show me the place,” 
said Peetie, and then Mother Hubbard’s dog said 
he would, and started off through the woods, 
Peetie and Jackie following. Well, pretty soon 
they came to the beehive. It stood in a deep, 
dark part of the woods, where folks seldom came. 

“Now, go right up and get the honey,” said 
the big, black dog to Peetie. “Take the cover off 
the hive, reach in and scoop some honey out. 
Jackie and I will wait here for you,” and then 
that bad, deceitful dog, calling to Jackie to come 
with him, went and hid under the bushes, where 
127 


Peetie and the Bees 


the bees could not find him, for he knew they 
would fly out, and buzz angrily around, as soon as 
Peetie tried to take the honey. 

Well, that’s just what happened. No sooner 
did Peetie lift the top off the hive, than the bees 
swarmed out, oh, so angry! 

They flew right at Peetie and stung him on 
his black-spotted nose. They stung him as many 
as seven times, and poor Peetie ran away, howl- 
ing, and didn’t get so much as a smell of honey. 
Then Jackie, peering from the bushes and seeing 
what had happened, got angry at Mother Hub- 
bard’s dog. 

“You knew those bees would sting my broth- 
er!” he cried. “Why did you send him after the 
honey? Why didn’t you go yourself?” 

“Because I can’t see very well,” answered the 
big black dog with a whine. “Did they sting you 
very bad, Peetie, my boy?” 

“Yes,” cried poor Peetie, rubbing his nose with 
his paw, “they stung me something fierce!” 

“Just stick your nose in the cool mud by that 
spring!” suddenly called a voice on a flower over 
Peetie’s head; and he looked up and saw the 
Queen Bee, who had flown out of the hive to see 
who was taking her honey. “Stick your nose 
right in the mud,” she went on kindly, “and that 
128 


Peetie and the Bees 


will make it feel better. I’m sorry you were 
stung.” 

So Peetie put his nose in the mud and it felt 
better at once. Then the Queen Bee looked very 
angrily at' the big black dog, and she said: 

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself!” 

And, would you believe me, he was, and he 
sneaked off, with his tail between his legs. Then 
the Queen Bee called some of her biggest bees 
and had them sting the big dog six times for 
playing such a trick on Peetie. 

And after that Peetie’s nose stopped hurting 
and he and Jackie explained that they didn’t 
mean to bother the bees and wouldn’t have done 
it only for Mother Hubbard’s dog. 

“Oh, I’ll excuse you,” said the Queen Bee 
kindly, “and I’ll give you all the honey you 
want,” which she did, and some besides for the 
puppy dogs to take home, and, oh, how delicious 
it was! Peetie was even glad he was stung, be- 
cause the honey was so good. 

Now, to-morrow night’s story will be about the 
Bow Wows and the Guinea Pig — that is, if there 
is no frost to freeze baby’s pink toes so she can’t 
wiggle them in her crib in the morning. 


129 


STORY XXI 


HELPING BRIGHTEYES PIGG 

Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow were going to the 
store for their mother. She had started to bake 
some apple pies, w^hen, at the last minute, she 
found there was no lard in the kitchen of the 
kennel. Now it seems you can’t bake apple pies 
without lard. 

I don’t just know what part of the pie it goes 
in, whether it’s the inside or the outside, but I 
know you have to have it. So when Mrs. Bow 
Wow found she had no lard she called for Peetie 
and Jackie to go after a pound, and glad enough 
they were to go, too, for they just loved apple pie 
and a bit of cheese. 

Well, they got the lard all right, and were on 
their way home, walking slowly through the 
woods, taking turns carrying the package, when 
all at once Peetie, who w^as holding it, fell down, 
and the lard rolled out of his paws. 

“Now see what you have done!” exclaimed his 
brother. “You have spoiled the lard.” 

130 


Helping Brighteyes Pigg 

‘‘No, I haven’t, replied Peetie, getting on his 
feet and picking up the bundle. “It’s only got a 
dent in, and mamma can straighten that out. It’s 
all right. It’s your turn to carry it now.” 

He was just handing it to Jackie, when they 
heard a queer little voice calling: 

“Help! Oh, will no one help me?” 

“Who are you?” asked Jackie, thinking per- 
haps it was a fairy crying, for he could see no one. 

“My name is Matilda Pigg,” answered the 
voice, away up high in the air. “But everyone 
calls me Brighteyes.” 

“Matilda Pigg?” repeated Jackie. “And who 
are you, pray, if one may ask?” 

“I am a guinea pig,” came the reply, and then 
it sounded as if Matilda was crying. 

“What is the matter, and where are you?” 
asked Peetie, for they had looked up and they 
had looked down, had Jackie and his brother, and 
they had looked on one side, and then on the other 
side, but they could see no one. 

“Here I am,” said Matilda Pigg, ceasing her 
sobs so that she could speak more plainly. “I’m 
caught in this log, away up on top of a big rock.” 

Then Peetie and Jackie could see the poor little 
creature. There was the unfortunate guinea pig, 
with one leg held fast in a split-open log that was 
on top of a rock. It was quite high, but the two 
131 


Helping Brighteyes Pigg 


puppy dogs managed to scramble up there. Then 
they saw that Matilda was very prettily marked, 
with brown and white spots, and they noticed 
how frightened she was and in what pain, and 
they wished they could help her. 

‘T was walking along this rock, looking for 
some cabbage,” she said, “when my foot slipped, 
and I fell in the crack in this log. I pulled and 
I pulled, but I can’t get my leg loose, for it is 
wedged tight, and I am afraid I’ll have to stay 
here forever. Will you please help me get out?” 

“Oh, don’t cry, Matilda,” said Jackie, very 
kindly. “Peetie and I will certainly help you; 
won’t we Peetie?” 

“Of course,” answered Peetie. “But what 
were you going to do with the cabbage when you 
got it?” he asked, for Peetie was very curious. 

“I was taking it home to my little brother 
Montmorency Pigg,” replied the little guinea 
pig girl. “He is ill; Montmorency is. Buddy, 
we call him for short, and he is black and white,” 
and the little creature began to cry again, she 
felt so badly. 

“Don’t cry, Matilda,” said Peetie. “We will 
save you.” 

“Oh, thank you so much!” she exclaimed. 
“You may call me Brighteyes, if you wish. 
Nearly every one does.” 

132 


Helping Brighteyes Pigg 


“Well, we will get you loose from this log 
first,’’ decided Jackie. So he and Peetie took 
hold with their strong jaws, one on one side, and 
one on the other side, and they pulled with all 
their might, but the log wouldn’t come apart. It 
was just like when the man splits a big piece of 
wood, and his hatchet sticks in it. 

“Pull a little harder, Peetie!” panted Jackie. 

“I’m pulling as hard as ever I can pull,” an- 
swered his brother, and he braced back on his legs 
until they ached. But, pull and tug as they did, 
the log would not open, and Brighteyes Pigg was 
still held fast. Then she cried harder than be- 
fore, because her leg pained her very much. 
Well, Peetie and Jackie tried again, but it was 
of no use, and then, all of a sudden along hopped 
Bully and Bawly, the two frogs. They saw what 
Peetie and Jackie were doing, and they offered 
to help. 

“Wait until I sing a song first,” proposed 
Bawly. “Maybe that will do some good.” 

“It would do more good to pull on the log in- 
stead of singing,” said Jackie, but Bawly said he 
had to sing, even if it was only a short song. So 
he sang this : 

“Fairy, fairy in the tree. 

Please to set poor Brighteyes free. 

133 


Helping Brighteyes Pigg 

We have tried with all our might. 

But Brighteyes is held too tight.” 

“There,” remarked Bully, after waiting a 
minute, “the song didn’t do any good, you see!” 

“Well, you and I haven’t tried with all our 
might yet,” responded Bawly. “I only said that 
we had so as to make it rhyme. Let’s try now.” 

So they helped Jackie and Peetie pull, but it 
was of no use, and poor Matilda Pigg was still 
held fast. 

“I guess I had better go for Dr. Possum, for 
maybe he can pull the log apart with his strong 
tail,” suggested Jackie, when all at once who 
should come along but Sammie Littletail and 
Johnnie and Billie Bushytail. They all helped 
pull, and the two squirrels tried to gnaw through 
the log, but it was too large and they had to stop. 

Then, just as they were all giving up, along 
came Uncle Wiggily Longears, with his crutch, 
and as soon as he saw what was the matter he 
said: 

“Why, all you have to do is to put some lard in 
the crack, right near Matilda’s leg, and her leg 
will slip out as easily as slippery elm. Have you 
any lard?” 

“We have; a whole pound, for apple pies,” 
said Peetie, and he gave Uncle Wiggily the 
134 


Helping Brighteyes Pigg 


package from the store. Then, in a jiffy, that 
old gentleman rabbit rubbed some lard in the 
crack of the log, and it greased it, and softened 
it up at once, so Brighteyes could pull out her 
leg. And maybe she wasn’t thankful as she ran 
along home ! 

And Beetle’s and Jackie’s mamma never 
scolded them a bit for using some of the lard, for 
she said they had done just right, and had acted 
kindly. 

Now to-morrow night the story is going to be 
about Jackie Bow Wow and Buddy Pig, whose 
real name was Montmorency; that is, in case the 
chimney doesn’t smoke and make my canary bird 
sing a song about ham and bacon and eggs. 


135 


STORY XXII 


JACKIE AND BUDDY PIGG 

“Come on out, Peetie, and well take a walk 
through the woods, and maybe see an adven- 
ture,” said Jackie Bow Wow to his brother, one 
day. 

“No,” answered Peetie, “I can’t. I’ve got the 
toothache,” and he put his paw to his jaw, and 
almost wished a bee would sting him, so he 
might feel a different sort of pain than the 
toothache. 

“Well, if you can’t come, I’m going alone,” 
decided Jackie. 

“If you see anything that’s good for toothache 
I wish you’d bring it home with you,” went on 
Peetie, and just then he had such a sharp pain 
that he nearly stood up on the end of his tail, 
which is a very difficult trick for any dog to do, 
except, maybe, the wooden kind that come out of 
N oah’s ark. 

“Of course I’ll bring it,” promised Jackie, 
136 


Jackie and Buddy Pigg 


“Maybe I’ll meet a fairy, and she’ll give me 
something magical to stop the pain.” 

“I hope you will,” spoke Peetie, and this time 
the toothache hurt him so that he rolled over and 
over on the floor of the kennel and his mother felt 
very sorry for him. So Jackie started off*, and 
walked far away, over the fields, and through the 
woods, and along a little brook, but he didn’t see 
any fairies. He looked up and down, and side- 
ways, and he didn’t see even an adventure — at 
least not right away, but pretty soon something 
is going to happen, and if you listen closely and 
watch, you’ll know what it is. 

Well, as Jackie was walking along he heard a 
funny little squeaking noise in the woods, and at 
first he thought it was two limbs of a tree rubbing 
one against the other, and squeaking, just as 
your new shoes do sometimes, in church, when 
you want to be, oh, so still and quiet! 

“My! I wonder what that can be?” exclaimed 
the little puppy dog. “Is anybody there?” he 
called out, for Jackie was getting to be quite 
brave. 

“Yes, I’m here,” answered a voice, and then 
Jackie began to get the least bit afraid, for he 
thought maybe it might be a snake coming to 
get him, or a bad fox, or something like that. 

“Who are you?” asked the little puppy dog, 
13T 


Jackie and Buddy Pigg 


at last, when he had looked all around and 
couldn’t see anything. 

“Here I am,” was the answer, “can’t you see 
me, right by this rock?” and then something 
moved — something spotted black and white, and 
what Jackie had at first taken to be a part of the 
rock, turned out to be a little animal, about half 
as big as Sammie Littletail. 

“Oh, I know who you are now,” cried Jackie, 
as he saw the little chap more plainly, “you are 
Montmorency Pigg, the brother of Matilda Pigg 
— Brighteyes — aren’t you?” 

“Yes,” said the guinea pig, for he it was who 
had been hiding beside the rock, “I am the 
brother of Brighteyes; but, if you please, Jackie, 
I wish you wouldn’t call me Montmorency.” 

“Why not? Isn’t Montmorency your name?” 

“Yes, it is, but, you see, I don’t exactly like it. 
It sounds too much like a name in a book, and I 
don’t hke books except those about fighting In- 
dians, and I never heard of an Indian named 
Montmorency. If it’s all the same to you, 
Jackie, would you mind calling me Buddy? All 
my friends do?” 

“Of course I will,” agreed Jackie. “But how 
did you happen to get that name?” 

“Oh, I’m named after my great-great-grand- 
mother,” explained Buddy Pigg, “but I can’t bear 
138 


Jackie and Euddy Pigg 


it. Of course I let mother call me Montmorency 
when she wants to, but I don’t like the boys to 
use it. Neither does my sister like the girls to 
call her Matilda, so we made up other names for 
ourselves. I also want to thank you for helping 
get Brighteyes loose from the split log that 
day.” 

“Oh, that’s all right,’ said Jackie, easily, “and 
of course Peetie and I will call you and your 
sister by the names you like best. Peetie is home 
with the toothache to-day, and I’m off here in the 
woods alone, hunting for something to cure him. 
Want to come with me?” 

“Of course,” answered Buddy Pigg. “Maybe 
I know of something that will ” 

But, just as he got that far, there sounded in 
the woods a most tremendous racket. Bushes 
and sticks seemed to be breaking, and there were 
loud cries, and then out rushed a big bird, with 
something red hanging down over its eyes, its 
feathers all sticking out and its wings dragging 
on the ground. 

“Oh, run! Run!” cried Jackie Bow Wow. 
“That’s the old turkey gobbler! He’s terribly 
angry, and he may bite us ! He nearly got Peetie 
one day. Run! Run! Run, Buddy!” 

Well you should have seen the puppy dog and 
the guinea pig run! My, how their legs did fly! 

139 


Jackie and Buddy Pigg 


But that turkey gobbler ran, too, right after 
them; for he had indigestion that day and was 
very angry, and he didn’t know the reason why. 

On and on he ran, after Jackie and Buddy, 
and pretty soon he caught up to Jackie, who was 
behind Buddy, and that mean turkey gobbler 
just grabbed hold of the puppy dog by the tail. 

‘‘Oh, dear! Ouch! Wow! My, oh, my! 
Lobster salad!” cried Jackie. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Buddy. 

“He’s got hold of my tail! He’s got hold of 
my tail!” cried Jackie. 

“Pull it away from him!” advised Buddy. 
“Pull it away, and then you run up front here, 
and I’ll go in back.” 

Well, Jackie didn’t know the reason for this, 
but he did it. He managed to pull his tail out of 
the turkey gobbler’s beak, and then he jumped 
ahead and Buddy went in back. 

And they ran on, and on, and on, with the 
gobbler chasing them, until pretty soon they 
came to a fence. Under it they scrambled like a 
cat going beneath a gate, and they were safe, for 
the turkey couldn’t get through. 

“Oh, my! That was a terrible time!” cried 
J ackie. “Did he grab your tail. Buddy.” 

“No,” said Buddy, “he didn’t. You see I 
haven’t got any tail,” and, sure enough, he 
140 


Jackie and Buddy Pigg 


turned around, and Jackie saw that he had no 
tail. No guinea pigs have, you see, at least none 
that I ever saw.” 

“I knew he couldn’t get hold of my tail,” ex- 
plained Buddy, “so that’s why I wanted you to 
go ahead.” 

Jackie thought that was very kind of Buddy, 
and I do, too. Then Jackie and Buddy played 
together for some time, and had lots of fun, and 
the old turkey gobbler ran away, quite angry that 
he hadn’t caught hold of the guinea pig’s tail. 
But how could he when there wasn’t any? 

Then all at once Buddy Pigg saw a green leaf, 
and he cried out: 

“Oh, this will stop Peetie’s toothache! It’s a 
mustard leaf, and it will draw out all the pain.” 

So they took the leaf home, and Mrs. Bow 
Wow put it on Peetie’s jaw, like a mustard 
plaster, and in a minute the pain was all gone. 
Then Peetie could come out and play with Buddy 
and Jackie. 

Now if nonfe of you burn yourselves with hot 
soup and if the peanut man brings me a lemon, 
with a peppermint stick of candy in it, the story 
to-morrow night will be about the Bow Wows and 
the rich dog. 


141 


STORY XXIII 


THE BOW WOWS AND THE RICH DOG 

When Buddy Pigg had gone home, that day 
after he and Jackie Bow Wow had been chased 
by the turkey gobbler, and Peetie’s toothache had 
stopped, Jackie said to his mamma; 

“Don’t you think it funny, mamma, not to 
have a tail?” 

“Indeed I do,” answered Mrs. Bow Wow. 

“Why, who hasn’t any tail?” asked Peetie. 

“Buddy Pigg,” replied Jackie. “Didn’t you 
notice it?” 

“Yes, I saw that he hadn’t any,” replied 
Peetie. “But I didn’t like to mention it, for fear 
it might have been cut off, or that he had been 
caught in a trap, and he might feel badly over the 
loss of it.” 

“Oh, my, no!” exclaimed Jackie, “Guinea pigs 
never have any tails. Buddy told me so. That’s 
the reason he ran behind and let me go ahead. 
He had no tail for the gobbler to get. I like him 
first rate.” 


142 


The Bow Wows and the Rich Dog 

‘‘Yes, the Piggs are a very nice family,” said 
Mrs. Bow Wow. “They have two ‘Gs’ at the end 
of their name, even if they have no tails. They 
are very nice, and you may play with them as 
often as you like. But I wish you two puppy 
dogs would run out and play now. I have the 
sweeping and dusting to do.” 

So Peetie and Jackie ran out, and wandered 
through the woods, but they didn’t see Buddy 
and Brighteyes Pigg, though they looked for 
them. They did meet some one, though. It was 
just after they had crawled through a bramble 
bush, and on the other side stood a beautiful 
white dog, with long, silky hair. 

“Hello!” called Jackie, real friendly like. 
“Who are you.” 

“I’m a white poodle,” answered the other dog, 
“and I came out by myself for an airing. Us- 
ually my mistress or the coachman or the foot- 
man takes me, but they are all away to-day, so I 
ran out alone. It’s dreadfully tiresome to have a 
person lead you around by a string, but I sup- 
pose it can’t be helped. But I see that you two 
doggies have also come out for your airing 
alone.” 

“Oh, we always go out alone — that is, Peetie 
and I together,” said Jackie. “Do you always 
have to have some one with you?” 

143 


The Bow Wows and the Rich Dog 

‘Dh, my, yes! That is considered proper. I 
belong in a very rich family, you see, and some 
one might steal me.’’ 

“If any one stole me, I’d bite them!” cried 
Peetie. 

“Biting is considered rather vulgar, I be- 
lieve,” said the white poodle, looking oddly at 
Peetie and Jackie. “But would you two doggies 
like to come home with me and have some fun? 
I’ll entertain you in the very best of style. It’s 
really time I returned.” 

“We’ll go,” agreed Jackie, who had always 
wanted to see how a rich dog lived, so he and 
Peetie followed the white poodle, who walked 
along very daintily, being careful not to step in 
mud puddles. 

Well, pretty soon, oh in about two barks and 
another one, they came to a great, big house, with 
smooth green lawns and flower gardens all 
around it, and a fountain spouting in front. The 
white poodle walked up the big marble steps, as 
bold as life, and went right in the big front doors. 

“Hold on!” cried Peetie, the least bit fright- 
ened. “Do you live in this kennel? My, what a 
fine place!” 

“Certainly I live here,” was the answer. “But 
this isn’t a kennel. This is a house. My mistress 
would never think of having me live in a kennel 
144 


The Bow Wows and the Rich Dog 


out-of-doors. That is considered old fashioned, 
and common. This place does jolly well enough, 
you know,” and the white poddle yawned, as if 
he was tired. 

“Oh, that’s how it is?” asked Peetie, faintly. 

“Certainly, my dear chap,” said the rich dog. 
“But come right in. I’ll take you to my room,” 
and, dear me, suz-dud! if he didn’t go right in 
the front hall, all covered with red velvet carpet 
as it was, and he never even wiped his feet on the 
mat. But Peetie and Jackie did. 

“I say, but he must be a rich dog,” remarked 
Jackie to Peetie in a whisper, and Peetie nooded. 

Then the poodle led them upstairs, and no one 
came to stop them, and Jackie and Peetie were 
beginning to think that, after all, it would turn 
out to be a fairy story; but it didn’t. It was all 
real. Well, in a short time the white poodle led 
them to a little room, and, walking in, he an- 
nounced: 

“This is my den. It’s a pretty fairish sort of 
a room, but I think I’m going to have them put 
gold paper on the walls. I’m getting tired of this 
red,” and, believe me! if the walls of that dog’s 
room weren’t covered with the most gorgeous red 
paper you ever saw. 

“Have a cushion?” invited the poodle, careless- 
like, as he stretched himself out on a blue plush 
145 


The Bow Wows and the Rich Dog 


one, and pointed to some others scattered about 
the room. “They’re not half bad. Try one?” 

“What! Lie down on those beautiful velvet 
things?” cried Jackie. “We’d spoil them. We 
always lie on straw.” 

“Pooh! Straw is common, my dear chap,” 
spoke the poodle. “Try a cushion, do. That’s 
what they’re for.” But Peetie and Jackie 
couldn’t bring themselves to do it, and they 
curled up on the soft carpet. 

“Well, are you hungry?” asked the poodle. 
“I believe there’s a bit of cold chicken, vdth 
jelly, a chop or two and something like that. I’m 
not hungry myself,” and he waved his paw to- 
ward a plate containing all sorts of dainty food, 
such as chicken, turkey, ice cream, charlotte russe, 
cream puffs and lady fingers, but Jackie and 
Peetie didn’t care for any of it. 

“Haven’t you a bone to gnaw ?” asked Jackie, 
politely. 

“Oh no, I never gnaw bones,” replied the rich 
dog. “It’s not considered proper, you know,” 
and he yawmed as if sleepy. 

“Well, here’s a ball, let’s have a catch,” pro- 
posed Peetie, as he saw a nice, big, red, rubber 
ball on the floor. 

“Oh, no, my dear fellow!” cried the poodle. 
“Don’t speak of such a thing! That ball must 
146 


The Bow Wows and the Bich Dog 


belong to the baby. I don’t see how it got in 
my room. Such toys should be kept out,” and 
he seemed real indignant-like. 

“Well, what shall we do?” asked Jackie. 
“We ought to play. Let’s race, or tumble down 
or jump.” 

“Oh, that’s too hard work,” objected the poo- 
dle. “Suppose we all go to sleep. It’s about 
time for my nap,” and he went over and lay 
down in a basket, all lined with blue silk, and 
j)ulled a soft quilt up over himself. 

“Stretch out and snooze,” he invited the puppy 
dogs. “Isn’t it nice here? Don’t you wish you 
were rich?” and bless me, if in another minute 
he wasn’t snoring away as natural as one could 
wish. Well, Peetie looked at Jackie, and Jackie 
looked at Peetie. 

“Come on,” said Peetie to Jackie in a whisper, 
“This is no place for us. I’d rather have our 
kennel with straw in, than this place. Let’s go 
out in the woods and fields where we can play.” 

Then they went out so softly that they didn’t 
awaken the poodle, who was probably much sur- 
prised to get up and find his friends gone. 

“No rich life for me,” said Peetie, as he fell 
down in a mud puddle and got up again, as 
happy as could be. 

“Nor me either,” agreed Jackie, as he tripped 
147 


The Bow Wows and the Rich Dog 


over a stone. Then they met Bully, the frog, 
and had a fine game of ball; glad enough to be 
just who they were and no one else. 

Now the story tomorrow night is going to be 
about the Bow Wows and a poor dog — ^that is 
if the chimney doesn’t catch fire, and scare my 
cat so his tail swells up big like a bologna sausage. 


148 


STORY XXIV 


THE BOW WOWS AND THE POOE DOG 

Once upon a time it happened, as things will 
sometimes happen in this world, that Jackie and 
Peetie Bow Wow were left home alone to mind 
the kennel. Their papa and mamma had gone 
on a visit, and would not be back until late that 
night. 

“Now, be careful not to set the place on fire,” 
cautioned Mrs. Bow Wow, “and don’t let any 
tramps in. Your dinner is all cooked for you, 
in the cupboard, and don’t go away from the 
house. Now, be good puppy dogs, and I’ll bring 
you something nice when papa and I come back.” 

“We’ll be good,” promised Peetie and Jackie. 
Well, after their mamma had gone they hardly 
knew what to do. They wandered around the 
house, and they peeped in the cupboard to see 
what nice things they were going to have for 
dinner. 

“I see some fine, juicy bones!” cried Peetie. 

“And there are some dog biscuit sandwiches!” 

149 


The Bow Wows and the Poor Dog 


added his brother, “and some of those sweet 
crackers, and two puppy cakes!” 

“Fine!” exclaimed Peetie. “Well, now we’ve 
looked at it, let’s go have a ball game. May- 
be some of the fellows will come along.” So 
they went out in front of the kennel-house, and 
tossed the ball up, and knocked it all about, and 
had a lovely time. 

“I guess that white poodle wishes he could 
play around the way we do,” remarked Jackie. 

“I believe you,” agreed Peetie. “But maybe 
he has some kinds of fun that we don’t. Hello, 
there come Bully and Bawly, the two frogs, and 
Sammie Littletail, and Johnnie and Billie 
Bushytail. Now wee’ll have a game.” 

And they did, a fine one, too, Johnnie knock- 
ing the ball so high when he was at the bat that 
it is a wonder that it ever came down again. 

Well, they played and they played, until it 
was the dinner hour, and then it was time to go 
home. Bully and Bawly and Sammie and 
Johnnie and Billie promising to come back after 
their meal. Peetie and Jackie went in the house 
and began to get the good things out of the 
cupboard. 

“What shall we eat first?” asked Jackie. 

“Oh, let’s begin on the dog biscuit sandwiches,” 
150 


The Bow Wows and the Poor Dog 


suggested his brother. “We’ll save the bones 
until last, for we can gnaw on them a long time.” 

Then, just as they had everything nice on the 
table, and were about to sit down to a regular 
feast, they heard a voice outside singing. 

“Hark!” exclaimed Peetie, “Is that Bawly?” 

“It doesn’t sound like him,” answered Jackie. 
“Maybe it’s that bad Mother Hubbard dog, who 
wanted us to get the honey for him. Listen!” 

They listened, and they heard the voice again, 
and it was singing a song. To sing it properly 
you have to be cold and hungry and feel very 
sad, but as I hope none of you is in that condi- 
tion I will allow you to sing it after a good sup- 
per, and when you feel real happy. 

Well, this is the song Jackie and Peetie heard: 

“It’s awful when you’re hungry. 

With not a bite to eat. 

And when you’ve wandered many miles, 
With blisters on your feet. 

I haven’t got a single cent; 

Nor any place to go. 

I’ve asked for food along the way 
But every one says: “No!” 

“I wish I’d see a fairy 
With silver-gauzy wings. 

151 


.The Bow Wows and the Poor Dog 


I’d ask her for some sandwiches 
And many other things. 

Perhaps she’d have some pity. 

And tell me what to do. 

For I am in a terrible state. 

Boo-hoo! boo-hoo! boo-hoo!” 

And, with that, there sounded outside the ken- 
nel-house the most pitiful crying Peetie and 
Jackie had ever heard. 

“My goodness! What’s that?” asked Jackie. 

“It must be a tramp,” answered Peetie. 
“Don’t let him in!” 

So they looked out of the window, and they 
saw a big shaggy dog, with his coat all stuck 
up with burrs, and one foot was cut, and another 
had a thorn in it, and one ear hung down and 
the other one pointed up, and, oh, dear me, 
woopsy-doodle and a tomato can! He was the 
most miserable dog you ever saw. 

“Is it Mother Hubbard’s dog?” asked Peetie. 

“No,” answered Jackie. “I don’t know who 
it is.” 

“Let’s ask him,” suggested his brother, so he 
raised the window a little bit, and called out: 
“Are you a tramp?” 

“Indeed, I’m not a tramp, little doggie,” an- 
swered the big dog. “I am only a poor dog. I 
152 


The Bow Wows and the Poor Dog 


have no home, and I’m looking for work. I 
can churn butter and I can do tricks, but no one 
seems to want me. Perhaps you have a little 
w^ood your mother wants sawed, or maybe the 
lawn needs to be cut. I’d do it for a bit of bread 
and some meat, for I am very hungry. Did you 
hear me sing about how miserable I am?” 

“Yes, we heard you,” replied Jackie. 

“Well, it’s all true,” went on the poor dog. 
“Every word of it. Last night I slept on top 
of a stone wall, and the night before on the edge 
of a mud puddle. All I’ve had to eat for three 
days has been part of an old bootleg and a piece 
of a shoe. And it was hard chewing; very hard. 
Has your mother any work for me?” 

“Our mother isn’t home,” said Peetie. 

“Oh, dear, that’s too bad. Well, then I’ll go 
on. Maybe I can find work somewhere. My, 
but how hungry I am! Would you mind if I 
took a drink of water from the tub?” 

“No, certainly not,” said Peetie, and Oh, how 
sorry he and Jackie felt for the poor dog! They 
thought of the nice things the rich dog had to 
eat, and then, all of a sudden Peetie said: 

“I’m going to give you some of my dinner.” 

“So am I,” cried Jackie. 

Then they ran to the window and, just as the 
poor dog was limping away, after having gotten 
153 


The Bow Wows and the Poor Dog 


a drink, they called to him. He came dn the 
house, wondering what they wanted of him, but 
when they told him he could have some of the 
sandwiches and the sweet crackers and the puppy 
cakes, well, maybe that poor dog didn’t eat! 

Oh, I wish you could have seen him! Peetie 
and Jackie kept on filling up his plate until, 
would you believe me ? there wasn’t anjdhing left 
but two bones, and that was all Peetie and J ackie 
had to eat. 

“I’m afraid I’ve robbed you,” said the poor 
dog, when he had licked the plate as clean as if 
Jennie Chipmunk had washed it, but Jackie and 
Peetie didn’t care, for they knew they had been 
kind. 

Then the poor dog went to sleep behind the 
stove, and he was the means of something won- 
derful happening to Peetie and Jackie, as you 
shall hear tomorrow night, if you don’t upset 
the stove blacking in the ice cream and make it 
look like a chocolate cake. 


154 


STORY XXV 


PEETIE AND JACKIE LEARN TRICKS 

When Mr. and Mrs. Bow Wow came home 
that night, after Peetie and Jackie had given 
their dinner to the poor dog, and he was still ly- 
ing asleep behind the stove, the puppy dogs’ 
mother exclaimed: 

“My goodness, Peetie and Jackie! Didn’t I 
tell you not to let in any tramps?” 

“He isn’t a tramp,” explained Peetie. “He’s 
only a poor dog, looking for work.” 

“Yes, that’s what they all say,” remarked Mr. 
Bow Wow, and he looked around for a stick. 

“Oh, but mamma!” exclaimed Jackie. “This 
dog can do tricks, and he is so tired and miserable, 
and he sang such a sad song that we couldn’t 
help feeding him.” 

“I know you meant to be kind,” said Mrs. Bow 
Wow, “but I fear ” 

Just then the big shaggy dog awoke. 

“I beg your pardon,” he said, real politely, 
“I am afraid I am in the way.” 

155 


Peetie and Jackie Learn Tricks 


Then he made a very low bow to Mrs. Bow 
Wow, and looking at Mr. Bow Wow added: 
“The truth of the matter is that your children 
were so unexpectedly kind to me that I hardly 
know how to thank them. I fear I overslept 
after the good dinner I had, but I will now be 
going on, unless there is something I can do to 
pay for my meal,” and, once more, he bowed 
very low. 

Then he started to go, and Peetie and Jackie 
felt sorry, for they wanted him to tell about his 
tricks, but Mr. Bow Wow said: 

“Have you any place to stay tonight?” 

“Not unless it is under a hay stack, or on a 
rock in the woods,” was the answer. 

“Well, perhaps we can find room for you,” 
went on the puppy dogs’ papa, for he saw that 
the visitor was not a tramp. 

“I shall be very grateful to you,” said the dog. 
“My name is Percival — that is my circus name 
— but my real one is Jim Dubs. You see Dubs 
was so common that when I joined the circus 
they changed it. Jim Dubs wouldn’t look at all 
well on a circus poster, you know — not high- 
sounded enough, and I like Percival quite well 
now that I’m used to it.” 

“Were you really in a circus?” asked Peetie 
eagerly. 


156 


Peetie and Jackie Learn Tricks 


‘Tndeed I was,” answered the big, shaggy dog 
proudly. “I was one of the best trick dogs that 
was ever inside a sawdust ring, or on the plat- 
form. I could turn three somersaults over six 
elephants, I rode around on a lion’s back, I raced 
with a monkey, I could play the hand organ, ring 
bells and fire a cannon, but my best trick was to 
come down from the top of the tent in a para- 
chute, holding two flags in my teeth and blowing 
a small horn. That used almost to bring down 
the tent, if I do say it myself!” and the dog mod- 
estly closed his eyes, for he did not want to seem 
proud. 

“Why did you leave the circus?” asked Mrs. 
Bow Wow. 

“Because I broke my leg trying to jump over 
eleven elephants at once,” answered Percival. 
“Then I could do no more tricks.” 

“That was too bad,” spoke Jackie. “Did your 
leg never get well so you could do tricks again?” 

“Yes, but by that time the circus had gone on 
and left me behind. Then I got sick, and had 
to do whatever work I could get, and hard times 
came, and I have to travel around doing odd 
jobs.” 

“Can’t you do any tricks now?” asked Peetie. 

“Oh, yes, a few, but I’m not as spry as I once 
was. Besides I’m getting old you see.” 

157 


Peetie and Jackie Learn Tricks 


‘‘Well, stay here tonight,’' advised Mr. Bow 
Wow, “and maybe tomorrow I can help you to 
get work.” 

So Percival stayed with the Bow Wows that 
night, and sure enough, the next day the puppy 
dogs’ papa got him a place in the dog biscuit 
factory where he worked. 

Well, time went on, and pretty soon Percival, 
who boarded at the kennel, was sleek and fat 
again and hardly lame at all. One day Jackie 
said to him: 

“Could you please show Peetie and me some 
tricks?” 

“I guess so,” answered Percival, kindly-like. 
“That is, if I am not too stiff.” So he took a 
little run, to limber up, and then, presto chango! 
before you knew it he had turned two somer- 
saults, one backward and one frontwards! 

“Fine!” cried Peetie. 

“Oh, that is nothing to what I used to do,” 
answered the old circus dog. “You should have 
seen me in my prime.” 

But he did some more tricks, such as playing 
dead, and jumping through barrel hoops, and 
over several boxes, making believe they were 
elephants, and then he showed how he used to 
sit on the lion’s back, and how he played the hand 
organ, and lots of things. Every day after work 
158 


Peetie and Jackie Learn Tricks 


he would do some tricks, and after a while Peetie 
and Jackie also learned to do them. 

“Well,” said Percival, one day, “you two chaps 
are getting to be quite expert. You can do tricks 
better than I can. 

“Do you think we could join a circus?” asked 
J ackie. 

“Yes, but I wouldn’t advise you to,” said the 
old dog. “It is a hard life. Better stay home 
and do tricks here.” 

But the more Peetie and Jackie thought of it, 
the more they wanted to go off and do tricks in 
a circus, for they had heard Percival tell of the 
strange animals, and the smell of the sawdust 
rings, and the cries of the men who sold pink 
lemonade and balloons and peanuts, and how the 
band played, and how the people came flocking 
to the tent in great crowds. 

“Let’s go off and join a circus,” said Jackie 
to Peetie one night. “We could earn lots of 
money and bring it back to papa and mamma.” 

“All right, we will,” agreed Peetie. “We’ll 
join the first circus that comes along, for we can 
do lots of tricks now.” 

Well, a circus did come along the very next 
week. All over, on walls, fences and trees, were 
stuck the gay posters, and one had on it a picture 
159 


Peetie arid Jackie Learn Tricks 


of a dog doing some tricks, just as Percival had 
done. 

‘‘Our picture will be like that,” said Jackie. 
“Come on, Peetie, we’ll go away tonight and join 
the circus.” 

So that night those two puppy dogs slipped 
softly away from the kennel, when every one was 
alseep, and the next morning, when Mamma Bow 
Wow awoke, she found this note on the table: 

“Dear Mamma and Papa — we have gone off 
to join the circus, but we will be back soon with 
lots of money. 

JACKIE AND PEETIE.” 

“Oh, my poor little puppy dogs!” exclaimed 
Mamma Bow Wow, and she began to cry. And 
she hunted all over the house for them thinking 
perhaps they were hiding, for a joke, but they 
were gone, and oh! how badly their papa and 
mamma felt. Now tomorrow night, providing 
you do not drop your ice cream cone on the baby’s 
nose and make her cry. I’ll tell you about Peetie 
and Jackie joining the circus. 


160 


STORY XXVI 


THE BOW WOWS JOIN A CIRCUS 

Jackie and Peetie ran softly away from the 
kennel-house that night, leaving their papa and 
mamma, and the old circus dog, fast asleep. 
They hurried through the woods, carrying their 
little bundles containing their clothes, and pretty 
soon they were quite a distance off. 

“Isn’t this fun?” asked Peetie, turning a back- 
ward somersault, just to keep in practice. “We’ll 
soon be at the circus, and be earning money.” 

“Yes, I s’pose it’s fun,” agreed Jackie, “only 
I stepped on a sharp stone a minute ago, and 
hurt my foot.” 

“Oh, don’t mind that,” advised Peetie. “We’ll 
soon be at the circus.” 

But they went on, and on, and on, oh, for ever 
so long, and they didn’t know that the circus had 
moved in the night, going to the next town. 
Morning came, and they hadn’t found it, and 
they were almost discouraged, only they met a 
161 


The Bow Wows Join a Circus 


stray dog, and he told them where the tents were 
being put up, in a place about a mile away. 

“Come on then,’' cried Peetie to Jackie. “We 
want to be in time to be hired for this afternoon. 
Let’s do some of our tricks, so as to limber up.” 

“I’d rather eat breakfast,” objected Jackie. 
“I’m hungry.” 

“We’ll eat afterward,” promised Peetie, so 
they put down their bundles and did some tricks 
beside the road. 

They turned several somersaults, danced on 
their hind legs and on their front ones, played 
dead, jumped over each other’s backs, rolled 
around like hoops, and then marched like soldiers. 

“Bravo! Fine and dandy!” cried the stray 
dog. “That’s all to the puppy cake, that is!” 

“We’re going to join the circus,” said Peetie, 
a bit proudly, perhaps. 

“Good luck,” called the stray dog, as he 
grabbed a bone from Jackie’s bundle and ran 
off with it. But the puppy dogs didn’t much 
care, as they had more, so they ate their break- 
fast, and went on to join the circus. 

Meanwhile, of course. Mamma and Papa Bow 
Wow felt dreadfully about their little puppy 
dogs having run away, but Percival, the old dog, 
comforted them as well as he could, and promised 
162 


The Bow Wows Join a Circus 


to go and look for Peetie and Jackie and bring 
them back. 

“How do you go at it to join a circus?” asked 
J ackie to Peetie, as they trudged along. 

“I don’t know,” answered his brother. “I 
guess you just go in and join; that’s all.” 

“I think a good plan for us would be to find 
the right man, and do some tricks in front of 
him,” proposed Jackie. “Then he can see what 
we do, and how smart we are, and he’ll hire us 
at once. You know we can’t talk people’s lan- 
guage, though we can understand it. If we do 
that way, we won’t have to say a word.” 

“That’s a good plan; we’ll do it,” agreed 
Peetie. 

So they tramped on, and pretty soon they came 
in sight of some white tents. Then they knew they 
were at the circus. They could see hundreds of 
horses going here and there, and many big 
gilded wagons were being pushed to and fro by 
curious beasts that seemed to have two tails. 

“Those are the elephants,” explained Peetie. 
“We’ll jump over them, as Percival did.” 

“I’m afraid,” spoke Jackie, “if one of them 
stepped on us we’d be as flat as a dog biscuit.” 

“Ah, but we won’t let them step on us,” ob- 
jected Peetie. “Come on; we must look for the 
manager, who is to hire us.” 

163 


The Bow Wows Join a Circus 


So they went on, seeing all sorts of wonderful 
sights. There were cages containing Hons and 
tigers and wolves and monkeys, and there were 
camels and giraff es and queer cows and a rhinoc- 
eros and a hippopotamus and striped zebra, and 
oh! I don’t know how many other things. 

Tents were being put up all over the grounds 
and men were shouting and calling, and other 
men were getting ready to sell peanuts and pink 
lemonade and balloons, and oh! it was really a 
delightful place, only the puppy dogs were anx- 
ious to do their tricks so they would be hired, and 
could earn money. 

For, in spite of wanting to join a circus they 
felt badly about having left their papa and mam- 
ma, but they tried to forget that part of it. 

All at once Jackie saw a man with a big black 
mustache and a long whip coming toward them. 
He had big shiny boots on and J ackie said : 

“This must be the ring-master that Percival 
told us about. Let’s do our tricks for him.” 

“All right,” agreed Peetie, “we will.” 

So they ran right up in front of that man, and 
they started in. They lay down and rolled over, 
and jumped backward and forward, and Peetie 
rode on Jackie’s back and Jackie rode on Peetie’s 
back, and they jumped long jumps and short 
ones, and made believe leap over elephants, and 
164 . 


The Bow Wows Join a Circus 


then they played dead and marched like soldiers, 
and finally they stood up on their hind legs and 
barked three times. 

‘‘Well, I do declare!” exclaimed the man with 
the whip. “If some of the trick dogs haven't 
gotten out of their cage.” 

“No they haven't!” cried another man. “All 
our dogs are safe.” 

“Then these must have run away from some 
other circus,” went on the man with the black 
mustache. “I'll keep 'em, anyhow. They're cute 
little beggars, and we need some new dog tricks. 
Here, Bill, take 'em and put 'em in a cage. 
Dress ’em up as clowns, and we'll take ’em in 
the parade today. Lively now,” and he snapped 
his big whip so loudly and so suddenly that Bee- 
tle and Jackie jumped quite high. 

Then the other man called the puppy dogs to 
him, and they followed, wagging their tails. 

“Oh, we’ve joined the circus! We really 
have!” cried Beetle to Jackie, much delighted. 
“And we never had to speak a word either.” 

“We’re going to be clowns,” observed Jackie* 
“I heard the man say so.” 

“That’s all right! We'll have jolly times, and 
earn lots of money. Isn’t it great!” remarked 
Beetle. And that is how it was that the puppy 
dogs joined the show. 


165 


The Bow Wows Join a Circus 


But Peetie and Jackie had some hard times 
ahead of them, even if they were trick dogs in a 
circus, as you shall soon hear, for the story to- 
morrow night is going to be about Jackie jump- 
ing through a drum — ^that is if you don’t burst 
your red balloon and spill the peanuts in the 
doll’s bathtub. 


166 


STORY XXVII 


JACKIE JUMPS THROUGH A DRUM 

Well, you can just imagine how excited Pee- 
tie and Jackie were, now that they had really 
joined a circus. They even forgot, for the mo- 
ment, that they had mn away from home, and 
caused their mamma to cry, and their papa to 
feel very sorry. 

“Come along here, doggie-boys,” called the 
man whom the ringmaster had spoken to as 
“Bill.” 

Jackie and Peetie followed and they were led 
right inside the tent, where there were elephants 
and camels, and lions, and tigers, and all sorts 
of animals. Oh, it was a real circus, all right. 

“Get in there, and stay until I can dress you 
up for the show,” the man went on, and he 
opened the door of a big, iron-barred cage. 

Peetie and Jackie jumped in, and found that 
the straw on the bottom was not very clean. But 
they didn’t think much about that, for they were 
too anxious about the coming parade. 

167 


Jackie Jumps Through a Drum 


“Do you s’pose we’ll do tricks on top of one 
of those big golden chariots?” asked Peetie. 

“Maybe,” replied Jackie. “Come on, let’s 
practice jumping in here.” So they jumped 
back and forth in the cage and pretty soon the 
man returned. He had some clown suits that 
seemed as if they had been made purposely for 
Jackie and Peetie. 

“I’ll put these on you in a minute,” said the 
man, throwing the suits inside the cage, which 
had iron bars. “These suits were for some other 
trick dogs we had, but they’ll do you all right.” 

Then he walked away, because one of the ele- 
phant’s needed a drink of water, about seven 
pails full, I guess, and Jackie and Peetie looked 
at the clown suits. But they didn’t wait for the 
man to come back to put them on for them. No, 
indeed, they put them on themselves. Oh, but 
they were the smart puppy dogs! Well, you can 
just imagine how surprised the man was, when 
he saw that. 

“These are fine dogs,” he said. “I wonder 
who trained them?” 

“If he knew it was Percival, the old trick dog, 
I guess he’d wonder more than ever,” said Jackie. 

“Well, you’ll soon be in the parade,” the man 
went on. “Might as well get in your place, I 
suppose,” so he opened the door of the cage and 
168 


Jackie Jumps Through a Drum 


out jumped Jackie and Peetie, dressed just like 
two little clowns, only their faces weren’t painted. 

But the man soon fixed that, for he took some 
red, white and blue paint, and daubed it all over 
them, until they looked too funny for anything. 
But Peetie didn’t like it very much, for some of 
the paint got in his mouth. Still, he couldn’t say 
anything, for he belonged to the circus now, and 
the paint didn’t taste as bad as some soap he 
once ate. 

“You look awful funny,” said Peetie to Jackie. 

“So do you,” replied Jackie to Peetie. “You 
make me want to laugh.” 

“That’s what clowns are for,” went on his 
brother, and just then the man called to them, 
so they had to run to get on top of a golden 
wagon, where the band was to ride. 

High up on the wagon was a little platform, 
and on this Peetie and Jackie were to do tricks 
during the parade. The man who had given the 
doggies the suits told them to stay there on the 
platform until he came back, and when he re- 
turned, directly, he, too, was dressed like a clown. 

“Start the parade!” cried the man with the big 
whip, and it started, with the band playing and 
the elephants and camels marching and the horses 
prancing and the lions and tigers roaring and 
snarling and oh — well, you’ve all seen a circus 
169 


Jackie Jumps Through a Drum 


parade, so I don’t need to describe it, but it was 
simply scrumptiously elegant if you will take 
my word for it. 

The wagon on which Peetie and Jackie rode 
was well up in front, and as soon as the clown 
nodded at them they began to do all the tricks 
possible on the platform — many that Percival 
had taught them. You should have heard the 
people shout when they saw the funny clown 
puppy dogs, and you should have seen the happy 
children all along the parade clap their hands and 
jump up and down when Peetie and Jackie did 
their tricks. Oh, it was great! 

“This is something like!” cried Peetie, after 
he had stood up on Jackie’s back. 

“Yes, this life is worth living,” agreed his 
brother. “But wait until the performance in the 
tent, and see what we do then. That will be the 
best.” 

Well, the parade was over, after a while, and 
all the animals and men went back to the circus 
grounds. Then the clown who had charge of 
Peetie and Jackie said he would see how many 
tricks they knew, so he told them different ones 
to do, and they did them all; every one. 

“Now we will see if you can jump through 
paper hoops, while riding on the back of a horse,” 
170 


Jackie Jumps Through a Drum 


the man said, and he led out a slow, easy-going 
horse, with a broad back. 

Peetie and Jackie jumped up on it, and then 
the horse cantered. Then the clown held up some 
paper hoops, and cried “Go!” and Peetie and 
Jackie jumped, just as Percival had shown them, 
and right through the hoops they went, breaking 
the paper as easily as you can put butter on your 
bread when it’s a hot day. 

“Very good! Very good, indeed!” cried the 
clown. “I guess you can go in the main tent. 
Now back to your cage until the show begins,” 
and he locked them up in the big wagon again. 

“I wonder if he isn’t going to feed us?” said 
Peetie. “I am getting hungry.” 

“Maybe he will after the performance,” sug- 
gested Jackie. 

Well, pretty soon the tent began filling up with 
people, and the band played louder than ever, 
and the elephants and camels marched around 
the ring, and the circus had started. Oh, it was 
great, I tell you! Peetie and Jackie could hard- 
ly wait for their turns. 

“Come on, now!” suddenly cried the clown. 
“Out with you!” and he cracked his whip. 

Peetie and Jackie, with their hearts beating 
fast, ran out into the big tent, the clown after 
them. There was the horse thev were to ride, 
171 


Jackie Jumps Through a Drum 


and the paper hoops were ready. They were to 
do that trick first. Up they jumped, and the 
horse began to canter. The clown held a hoop, 
and Peetie burst through it, landing on the 
horse’s back again. Then another hoop was held 
up, and it was Jackie’s turn. 

How it happened I don’t exactly know, but 
just then another clown near by held up a big 
drum, close to the horse, and, instead of jumping 
through the paper hoop, Jackie jumped right at 
the drum, and, what is worse, he burst right 
through the head of it with a “boom,” and he 
found himself inside rattling around like a pea 
in a pod! Oh, it was awful! 

Well, you should have heard the people shout! 
But the clown, whose drum was broken, was mad, 
and he shook Jackie out on the sawdust, and be- 
gan to hit him with the whip, so that Jackie ran 
away howding. 

“That trick is spoiled!” cried the angry clo’wn. 
“I will have to punish the dogs for this,” and he 
led Peetie and his brother away to their cage, 
locked them in and only gave them bread and 
water to eat. Oh, it is not always nice in a cir- 
cus, as Jackie and Peetie soon found, though they 
did have some fun. 

Now tomorrow night I’m going to tell you 
172 







STORY XXVIII 


OVER THE ELEPHANTS 

Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow felt very badly 
on their first afternoon in the circus, especially 
Jackie, who had jumped through the drum in- 
stead of through the paper hoop. They were 
locked in the cage, eating bread and drinking 
water, and Peetie said: 

“This isn’t much fun; is it?” 

“No indeed,” agreed Jackie. “It was my 
fault, I s’pose.” 

“Oh, you couldn’t help it,” kindly remarked his 
brother. “I believe that clown held his drum in 
the way on purpose. We’ll do better next time, 
but I thought they’d feed us more than this. 
Percival used to tell of having bones with lots 
of meat on them.” 

“We’re in disgrace,” explained Jackie. “When 
we do our tricks better we’ll get better things to 
eat.” 

“Then let’s try jumping in here now,” pro- 
posed Peetie. So they started to do some of their 

1T4 


Over the Elephants 


tricks, and while they were practicing, just as 
some of you have to practice on the piano , so 
you can play well, who should come along but 
the clown who had them in charge. 

“Ah, jumping around, eh?” he remarked. 
“Well, you want to jump better tonight than 
you did this afternoon, or I don’t know what 
will happen.” 

Jackie and Peetie pretended not to hear him, 
and kept right on practicing. First Peetie leaped 
the whole length of the cage, high up over Jackie’s 
head, and then Jackie did the same thing. 

“Come, that’s not half bad,” remarked the 
clown admiringly. “I’ll have you do some long 
jumps in a few days,” and he cracked the whip 
he carried until it sounded like a pistol, and the 
two puppy dogs shivered, for they feared they 
would feel the lash on their backs, but they didn’t. 

Well, all the rest of that day they had to stay 
in the cage with the iron bars, and it wasn’t much 
fun, let me tell you. No, indeed, it’s like being 
shut up in a closet when you’ve been naughty, 
only, of course, Peetie and Jackie could look out 
and see what was going on. They saw the big 
elephants eating hay and peanuts, and they looked 
across to the cage where the big lion was. 

“Isn’t he a terrible fellow?” remarked Peetie 
to Jackie, 


175 


Over the Elephants 


“Oh, I guess he’s all right when you get to 
know him,” said Peetie. “Probably we’ll ride 
ride on his back some day, just as Percival did.” 

“Not for mine,” said Jackie, with a shudder. 

Well, after a while the people began to go 
away, for the afternoon part of the show was 
over. Then the animals were fed and this time 
Jackie and Peetie had a bone each, but there 
wasn’t much meat on them. Then it got dark 
and big flaring lamps were lighted. 

“They’re getting ready for the night perform- 
ance,” said Jackie, capering about. “We’ll jump 
better tonight. But what are you thinking of, 
Peetie?” for he noticed that his brother was rather 
sad. 

“I — oh, I — I was just thinking about Percival, 
and — and ” 

“I know!” exclaimed Jackie, quickly, “and 
mamma and papa, too, I guess, and — and ” 

But he couldn’t say any more, foryhe was cry- 
ing, not much, you know, but the least little bit, 
and Peetie cried, too. But just then a bell be- 
gan to ring and a trumpet blew, and they knew 
it was time for the night performance. 

“Never mind,” spoke Peetie, drying his tears 
on the straw in the bottom of the cage, “we’ll 
soon have a lot of money, and then we can go 
home. Now, let’s practice that big jump again.” 

176 


Over the Elephants 


It wasn’t long before the doggies’ clown mas- 
ter came for them, to take them out into the big 
tent again. There they saw a most wonderful 
scene. It was all lighted up ; with elephants and 
camels marching around, and horses, too, with 
gold and silver blankets on, and performers were 
riding on the backs on the animals ; and the horns 
and trumpets were blaring, and the drums were 
booming, and the people were hurrying here and 
there, and there was lots of excitement. 

Well, for a starter, Jackie and Peetie had to 
do the same tricks they did in the afternoon ; that 
is, jump through hoops on the horse’s back. They 
did it perfectly, too, and the people clapped like 
anything. 

Then the clown told them to do other tricks, 
such as turning somersaults backward and front- 
ward, and marching like soldiers, and playing 
dead, and, would you believe it, Jackie pulled a 
string that fired off a little brass cannon, and it 
had real powder in it, and there was a lot of 
smoke, and a noise louder than when the drum 
was burst. 

Then, pretty soon, a man came along leading 
a lot of elephants over to where Jackie and Pee- 
tie were. The huge beasts were made to stand 
in a line, and a long sloping platform was placed 
close to the end elephant. 

177 


Over the Elephants 


‘‘Oh, look,’’ whispered Peetie to Jackie, “I be- 
lieve we’re going to jump over the elephants.” 

“It does look that way,” admitted Jackie. 
“Can we do it?” 

“Of course we can,” declared Peetie. “Just 
remember what Percival told us. Don’t get 
frightened, the elephants can’t hurt us, for the 
men are standing near them with big hooks. Now 
jump your best, Jackie.” 

“I will,” promised his brother, and two more 
excited little puppy dogs you never saw. 

Well, the clown motioned for them to get up 
on the platform so they could leap over the ele- 
phants’ backs. Jackie and Peetie got up, and 
they saw that there were three elephants in a 
row. The doggies took a rmi, gave a big jump, 
and over the backs of those elephants they went 
just like a baseball, if not better. 

Then one more elephant was added to the line, 
making four, and they jumped over them. Then 
another was added, and so on until, would you 
believe me, there were ten elephants in a row! 

“Oh, can we ever jump over those?” asked 
Jackie. 

“We must,” insisted Peetie firmly, and by this 
time the people were clapping and shouting as 
excited as could be. 

Well, the puppy dogs took a big breath, and 
178 


Over the Elephants 


they started to run. Oh, how fast they ran. 
Then, at the proper time they jumped up and 
leaped across the elephants’ backs. 

Right over they went, but oh, dear! Some- 
thing happened! Just at the end of the line of 
elephants stood the big hippopotamus, and the 
instant that the puppy dogs came sailing through 
the air he opened his big jaws and tittle-come- 
tattlecome! if Peetie and Jackie didn’t land right 
in the mouth of that hippopotamus! And it 
tickled him so that the hippo sneezed. But he 
didn’t close his mouth, luckily, and Peetie and 
Jackie weren’t hurt a bit, and they jumped out. 
Oh, it was the best trick of all, and how the peo- 
ple clapped! And Peetie and Jackie wagged 
their tails, and the clown gave them some fine 
juicy bones. 

Now the story tomorrow night will be about 
Jackie and the lion, that is, if you don’t puncture 
your automobile tire with a hat pin and blow out 
the candle when the man is down cellar fixing the 
furnace. 


179 


STORY XXIX 


JACKIE AND THE LION 

The circus moved away that night, after J ackie 
and Peetie had been locked in their cage, and had 
been given some very special bones to gnaw be- 
cause they had done such a fine trick, as jumping 
over ten elephants, landing in the mouth of the 
hippopotamus, and getting out again, without 
being hurt. Of course, landing in the mouth of 
the hippopotamus was an accident, but only the 
circus people knew that. 

‘Tt was a very good trick,” said the clown who 
had charge of Peetie and Jackie, “and we’ll do 
it at every performance after this.” 

“I only hope that hippopotamus doesn’t close 
his jaws on us,” remarked Peetie, when he had 
heard what the clown said. “It will be all up 
with us if he does. Did you notice his tremendous 
teeth, Jackie?” 

“No, I was too scared. It looked just as if 
we were sliding down a big hole, all lined with 
red flannel.” 


180 


Jackie and the Lion 


“Well, I s’pose well have to do it, to earn our 
money,” went on Peetie, “but Percival never said 
a circus had so many hard things in it for puppy 
dogs to do.” 

“Well, you know he warned us not to come,” 
said Jackie. 

“Oh! I’m not backing out,” exclaimed Peetie 
quickly, “only I thought — but no matter, let’s 
go to sleep.” 

So they burrowed down under the straw, which 
wasn’t as nice and soft as that in the kennel at 
home, and pretty soon the cage they were in, be- 
gan rolling along. The circus was moving, and 
Jackie and Peetie couldn’t sleep very well, for 
they weren’t used to travelling, but, as Peetie 
said, you can’t have everything you want when 
you’re a performer in a circus. 

They dreamed of their papa and mamma that 
night, and of how sorrowful the folks at home 
were because of the runaways, so that when morn- 
ing came Peetie and Jackie weren’t feeling very 
happy. 

It was cold, too, for there was no fire in their 
cage, and all they had for breakfast was some 
dried bread. No one seemed to pay any atten- 
tion to them, for everybody was busy at some- 
thing else. Some of the animals were as cross 
as two sticks and a half ; the lion roared, the tiger 
181 


Jackie and the Lion 


snarled and the elephants blew through their long 
trunks just as if they were playing trumpets. 

But after a while the sun came up and by this 
time the big tent was in position, and the flags 
were flying. Then breakfast was served to the 
performers and the animals, and every one felt 
better, even Jackie and Peetie. By the time the 
parade was to start, and they had on their clown 
suits, and were on top of the big, gilded wagon, 
the two doggies were almost happy again. 

Through the streets they went, along with the 
parade, and the people shouted and cheered at 
the funny tricks Peetie and Jackie did. Then 
came the afternoon performance, and the puppy 
dogs jumped through paper hoops, did several 
other things and ended up by once more leaping 
over ten elephants and into the mouth of the hip- 
popotamus. 

“Jump out quickly, or he may close his jaws 
on us!” cried Peetie to Jackie, and down to 
the sawdust they leaped, while the people 
clapped louder than ever. Then the doggies saw 
that men stood ready with big sticks to put in 
the mouth of the hippopotamus and keep it open, 
in case he should want to shut his jaws too 
quickly. 

Well, that ended the tricks for the afternoon, 
but just before the evening performance Jackie 
182 


Jackie and the Lion 


and Peetie noticed their clown and the ringmaster 
talking together near their cage. 

“I think 111 have the dog with the red suit ride 
the lion around the ring tonight,” the clown said. 
“It will make quite a sensation.” 

“Isn’t the lion pretty angry these days?” asked 
the ringmaster. 

^‘Yes, but I think we can manage it. Ill try 
it, anyhow.” 

“That’s you they’re talking of, Jackie,” said 
Peetie in a whisper, as the two men moved away 
from the cage. “You wear a red suit.” 

“That’s so,” agreed Jackie. “Then I’ve got 
to ride on the lion’s back.” 

“Are you afraid?” inquired Peetie. 

“I don’t know,” answered his brother as he 
looked at a bone, to see if there was any more 
meat left on it. “I think ” 

But what Jackie was going to think he never 
told, for just then the lion in the next cage 
began to roar something terrible, and leap against 
the bars as if he would break them, and his whole 
cage shook! Men came running up, and his 
trainer called him to be quiet, but it was a long 
time before the lion settled down. 

“And that’s the lion on whose back I am to 
ride around the ring tonight,” said Jackie. 
“Well, Peetie, I don’t know what will happen.” 

183 


Jackie and the Lion 


“Neither do I,” replied Peetie, and then he 
began to feel rather sorrowful, for he didn’t 
want his brother to get bitten by a lion, and he 
began to wish they hadn’t joined the circus. Then 
the lion roared some more, and growled low down 
in his throat, and all at once Jackie cried: 

“I know what I’m going to do; I’m going to 
take a bone over to the lion. Maybe he’s hungry, 
and that’s what makes him cross. Then I’ll tell 
him I’m going to ride on his back tonight, and 
I’ll ask him if he won’t kindly be nice to me.” 

“That’s a good idea,” agreed Peetie. “Take 
him a big bone.” Which Jackie did, slipping 
out of his cage, the door of which was left open. 

Well, you should have seen how kind that lion 
was to Jackie, when the puppy dog went timidly 
up to the cage containing the big beast. 

“Thank you very much for the bone,”’ the lion 
said, and he stopped roaring at once. “It will 
do to sharpen my teeth on,” he added. 

“Not so you can bite me, I hope,” said Jackie, 
trembling a little and trying to smile. “I’m to 
ride on your back tonight.” 

“No! Is that so?” inquired the lion, quite sur- 
prised like. “Well, I’m real glad to hear it. 
You know the monkey usually rides on my back, 
and he has a bad habit of reaching around and 
pulling my whiskers. That’s what makes me 
184 


Jackie and the Lion 


mad, and that was why I growled so a while ago. 
I got to thinking of that monkey and my whis- 
kers, and it made me roaring mad, so to speak, 
which, I s’pose, wasn’t polite.” 

“I’ll not pull your whiskers,” promised Jackie, 
and then the lion smiled more kindly than ever. 

Well, everything went off just lovely. Jackie 
rode around and around the ring on the lion’s 
back, as bold as could be, and the people clapped 
like anything, and the lion never even growled; 
he only smiled, which shows that it pays to be 
kind to lions. 

Well Peetie was the only doggie who jumped 
over the elephants’ backs into the hippo’s mouth 
that night, as Jackie had to do his own special 
lion trick, and both the puppy dogs had a fine 
supper. 

Now if the milk doesn’t turn sour and make 
funny faces at the coffee pot on the gas stove, 
I’ll tell you tomorrow night about Peetie’s big 
jump. 


185 


STORY XXX 


peetie’s big jump 

One day, after Peetie and Jackie had been 
with the circus about two weeks, and had traveled 
around to many places, they reached a big city. 

All this time the two puppy dogs had gone 
on doing their tricks, Peetie jumping over the 
ten elephants and landing in the mouth of the 
hippopotamus, and Jackie riding around the ring 
on the lion’s back. 

Jackie and the lion became good friends, and 
Peetie also made the acquaintance of the big fel- 
low, and the three would often visit each other 
in the lion’s cage, for Peetie and Jackie were 
allowed to go out once in a while, but the lion 
was kept locked up, except when he did the trick 
in the ring. 

‘T wonder if we’re going to get any money,” 
said Peetie to Jackie, the day they arrived in the 
big city. “No one has said anything to us about 
pay yet.” 

“Maybe they’ll wait until the circus is all 
186 


Peetie’s Big Jump 


done,” suggested Jackie. ‘‘Won’t we have a lot 
of money to take back to papa and mamma, 
though? For we draw big crowds; I heard our 
clown say so.” 

“Yes, I guess we must give satisfaction,” 
agreed Peetie, “for they have given us new suits.” 

And that’s what had happened. The puppy 
dogs now had clown suits all covered with gold 
and silver spangles, and they looked so fine that 
none of their former friends would have known 
them. Sammie Littletail, and Johnnie and Bil- 
lie, and Bawly, the frog — none of them would 
have recognized Peetie and Jackie. 

Well, it came time for the parade, and the 
puppy dogs had their usual places on the big, 
red-and-gold band wagon. They did lots of 
funny things, and the crowd along the streets 
laughed and applauded. Then came the after- 
noon performance, and Peetie did the elephant 
trick, and Jackie rode on the lion’s back. 

Toward evening the clown and the ringmaster 
once more came and stood beside the puppy dogs’ 
cage. 

“I think we’ll try a new trick tonight,” said 
the clown. “I’ll take the dog with the blue suit 
on and make him jump from the top of the tent.” 

“Won’t it hurt him?” asked the man with the 
long whip, as he softly cracked it, so that it 
187 


Peetie’s Big Jump 

soimded like the little fire-crackers which cost a 
penny a pack. 

“Oh, no,” answered the clown, “I’ll have him 
land in a tank of water. It will make a big 
splash and create a sensation. We must keep 
on having sensations if we are to draw the 
crowd.” 

“Well, go ahead,” said the ringmaster. “Have 
the dog do the big jump.” 

“That means you, Peetie,” said Jackie, after 
the two men had gone away. “You wear a blue 
suit.” 

“Yes, it means me all right,” agreed Peetie 
with a sigh. “I’ve got to jump from the top of 
the tent, and I don’t like it a bit. It’s awful far 
to jump. Maybe I’ll break my leg, or something. 
It’s worse than jumping over the elephants.” 

“Yes, and it’s worse than riding the lion,” 
agreed Jaclde. “I tell you what we can do, 
Peetie.” 

“What?” 

“We can run away.” 

“What; run away from the circus, just as we 
are doing our very best? I guess not!” 

“But the big jump you have to make? Aren’t 
you afraid?” 

Yes, but I s’pose I’ve got to do it. Oh, dear, 
188 


Peetie’s Big Jump 


I guess Percival was right when he said life in a 
circus was hard.” 

Well, the clown began to get things ready for 
Peetie’s big jump that night. A little platform 
was built, away up near the top of the tent, and 
down below there was a tank of water, into which 
the puppy dog was to jump. The clown took 
Peetie up high in the tent, just before the per- 
formance was to begin and showed him what he 
was to do. 

Poor Peetie shivered as he looked down, but 
there was no help for it. He had joined the cir- 
cus, and now he had to do things, whether he 
wanted to or not. It wasn’t a bit like living at 
home with his papa and mamma. 

That night, after Peetie had made his jump 
over the elephants and Jackie had ridden on the 
lion, the clown held up his hand, and the people 
got as quiet as mice when they’re after a bit of 
cheese, and then the clown told the crowd what 
Peetie was going to do — jump from the top of 
the tent into the tank of water 

Well, I wish you could have heard those peo- 
ple clap. It was like ten rain storms on a double 
tin roof, but, with all that, Peetie wasn’t happy. 

Well, the clown took Peetie in his arms and 
climbed up a latter, right up to the top of the 
189 


Peetie’s Big Jump 

big tent. Up, and up, and up. OH, ever so high! 
My! how far it looked down to that tank. 

“Steady now doggie,” said the clown to Pee- 
tie, as he put him down on the platform. 

Peetie tried to be steady, but his legs did trem- 
ble a bit and I don’t blame him; do you? No, I 
guess not. Then it got all still and quiet in that 
tent, and the clown called. 

“Ready!” 

Then the drum began to roll, just like distant 
thunder, and it kept getting louder and louder, 
and the clown pushed Peetie to the edge of the 
platform. 

“Now, jump!” he cried, and Peetie jumped. 

Down and down he went, with the drum roll- 
ing out louder than ever. The puppy dog tried 
to keep his eyes on the tank of water where he 
was to land, but he went so fast that the tears 
came, and he couldn’t see very well. He knew 
he couldn’t be hurt very much, for he had often 
jumped off a bank into the creek at home, but 
this was a far higher jump. 

Down and down he went, and at last he landed 
in the tank, splashing the water all about in a 
big spray. And just as he landed the big bass 
drum boomed out like a cannon! 

The people started to applaud, but something 
happened. The big wave that Peetie had made 
190 







»• •• 





« • 








'i 


• (T . 


- -♦ 


» . 








"V 


.V 

« 


* 



"-*• 

•“I 





Peetie’s Big Jump 


had splashed so high that some of it went on a 
man in a purple suit who was riding a white 
horse. The water made the horse jump and the 
man fell off and bumped up against an elephant, 
and the elephant fell down and the horse almost 
ran away, and you never saw such confusion in 
all your life as followed after Peetie’s big jump. 
The people stood up and shouted, and it was 
some time before they were quiet. 

“It’s all your fault!” cried the clown to Peetie. 
“If you had landed in the middle of the tank 
instead of near the edge, the water wouldn’t have 
splashed!” 

And, oh, how crossly he spoke! He even hit 
Peetie with his whip and that made Jackie growl, 
and the two puppy dogs were chased off to their 
cage without any extra supper, such as they al- 
ways had. 

“I’ll punish them both tomorrow,” said the 
clown. “They are getting lazy,” which wasn’t 
true, you know. 

Now tomorrow’s story will be about the Bow 
Wows going back home, that is, if I have rice 
and strawberry sauce for supper, and if the hand 
organ man’s monkey doesn’t put any peanuts on 
the front stoop. 


191 


STORY XXXI 


PEETIE AND JACKIE GO HOME 

You can just imagine how badly Peetie and 
Jackie felt as they snuggled down in the straw 
of their cage that night after Peetie had made 
his big jump and had splashed the water all over. 

“Did you hear what the clown said?” inquired 
Jackie. 

“Yes,” replied Peetie, with a little sob, away 
down in his throat. 

“He said he was going to punish us for some- 
thing or other,” went on Jackie, “and I don’t 
think that’s fair, as we have done our work well.” 

“Indeed, it isn’t,” agreed Peetie. “And just 
to think! I’ve got to make that big jump again 
tomorrow. Oh, how frightened I am when I 
think of it! I had rather ride on the lion’s back.” 

“No, you wouldn’t!” exclaimed Jackie quickly. 
“He’s getting to be real cross again; not at me, 
you understand, for he and I are good friends, 
but every once in a while the monkey jumps off 
the pony’s back, which he rides around the ring, 
192 


Peetie and Jackie Go Home 


and the monkey runs over and pulls the lion’s 
whiskers. This makes the lion mad, and when 
he gets to thinking of it he growls and roars 
something terrible. I’m afraid he’ll forget that 
I’m on his back, instead of the monkey, and he 
may turn around and bite me.” 

“Oh, I hope not,” said Peetie. “That would 
be too bad. I tell you what it is, Jackie,” he went 
on, “this isn’t as much fun as we thought it would 
be; is it?” 

“No, it certainly is not,” agreed his brother, 
as he buried his nose deep down in the straw. 

“Of course, some parts of it are nice,” re- 
sumed Peetie, “but we seem to make mistakes, 
though we don’t mean to, and we are blamed for 
them. I wonder when they will whip us?” 

“Don’t speak of it,” begged Jackie, “it makes 
me feel too miserable. I’m hungry, too. Oh, 
dear, I wish — ” 

“Well, what do you wish?” asked Peetie, for 
Jackie didn’t finish. 

“I wish we were home; now, there!” exclaimed 
Jackie. 

“So do I,” added Peetie, “but I don’t s’pose 
we can go until the circus ends. We want our 
money.” 

Well, the circus moved on to the next town that 
night, and it was over a rough road, so that the 
193 


Peetie and Jackie Go Home 


wagons and cages jolted, and rumbled, and the 
puppy dogs didn’t sleep at all well. When 
morning came, it was raining, and it was cold, 
and wet, and miserable in the tent, and they had a 
breakfast of only cold potatoes. 

“I wish we could sleep all day,” murmured 
Peetie, as he cleaned off his plate with his tongue. 
“I don’t like doing tricks today.” 

“Me either,” agreed Jackie. “But we have 
to,” and he sighed. 

Just then they both saw the clown coming to- 
ward their cage, and he had a whip in his hand. 

“Oh!” cried Jackie, “he’s coming to whip us! 
But as soon as he opens the cage door we’ll jump 
out and run away. Right out under the tent, 
we’ll run, and as far off as we can! I’ve had 
enough of circus life!” 

“So have I,” said Peetie. “I’ll go with you!” 

Well, the clown with the whip came nearer, and 
he cracked it savagely. Then he opened the door 
of the puppy dogs’ cage, and in an instant, be- 
fore he was ready for them, out they leaped. 
Yes, sir, right out, and they ran between his 
legs, upsetting that clown and making him tum- 
ble down, and then out of the tent rushed Peetie 
and Jackie. 

“Quick! After them! The trick dogs are 
194 


Peetie and Jackie Go Home 


running away!” cried the clown. “Catch them! 
Bring them back ! Grab them !” 

Well, the whole place was in confusion. Men 
ran here and there and everywhere, trying to 
catch Peetie and Jackie. But the two dogs had 
a good start. On and on they ran, faster and 
faster. 

“Which way is home?” panted Peetie. 

“I don’t know,” gasped Jackie. “Only keep 
on, we must get away!” 

They raced on, over the fields, anywhere to 
leave the big, white tent behind, but the men came 
after them, and the clown was ahead, cracking 
and snapping his cruel whip. Oh, how angry he 
was! Jackie stubbed his paw, and fell down, but 
Peetie helped him up, and then Peetie fell in a 
mud puddle and Jackie had to help him out, and 
this delayed them, and the clown was almost up 
to them. 

“Oh!” gasped Peetie, as they ran on again. 
“I’m afraid they’ll catch us, and take us back!” 
and indeed it began to look so. 

But, just as the clown and a lot of men had 
almost caught up to Peetie and Jackie, and the 
doggies felt that they could not take another step, 
they heard some one singing a little song; and it 
came right out from under a big log. This is the 
song they heard: 


195 


Peetie and Jackie Go Home 


‘ Jt’s nice to be a circus dog, 

But nicer far, I think. 

To be a doggie in a house. 

With lots to eat and drink. 

I once was in a circus; 

And did most anything. 

But now I am a working-dog 
And gladly do I sing.” 

“That’s Percival! — our old dog-friend Perci- 
val!” cried Peetie. 

“So it is,” panted Jackie, and bless me if Per- 
cival didn’t come out from under the log. He 
saw the two puppy dogs, and he saw the men 
chasing them, and he knew right away what had 
happened, he was so smart. 

“Quick!” he cried. “Hide under this log, and 
I’ll scare those men away.” So Peetie and 
Jackie ran under the log and hid, and when the 
clown and the other men came up, Percival 
showed his teeth, and growled so savagely, that 
they were glad to keep back, and they didn’t find 
Peetie and Jackie, and had to return to the tent, 
without them. Then the puppy dogs crawled 
out, and that’s how they escaped from the circus. 

“You poor chaps,” spoke Percival, as kind as 
kind as could be. “Your mamma and papa have 
been looking all over for you. I just came to this 
196 


Peetie and Jackie Go tiome 


circus thinking you might be with it, and sure 
enough you were. Do you want to go home?” 

“Do we?” cried Peetie and Jackie together. 
“Well, I guess we do! How far is it?” 

“Not far,” answered Percival. “We’ll soon 
be there.” 

And they were, in about seven barks and a 
half. Oh, I can’t tell you how glad Mr. and Mrs. 
Bow Wow were to see Peetie and Jackie again, 
and they gave them the finest supper you can 
imagine, and forgave them both! 

“We — we didn’t get any money,” said Peetie, 
after the meal, when he and Jackie had told all 
their troubles. 

“Never mind,” said his papa, “I can earn 
money enough for all of us,” and soon the two 
puppy dogs were tucked in their nice beds, snor- 
ing away for dear life. And they never ran away 
again to join a circus, but a few weeks later they 
went with their papa and mamma and Percival 
on a long visit to the country. 

There they had a fine time, and they met some 
friends of theirs — the two guinea pig children. 
Buddy and Brighteyes. They played all sorts 
of games, like “Pop the Weasel,” and “Doggie 
in a Corner,” and they even played “Hop- 
Scotch.” 

But as this book is getting pretty full of dog 

197 


Peetie and Jackie Go Home 


stories. I think I’ll stop it, and write another 
book with stories in it about the guinea pigs. It 
will be called “Bedtime Stories — Buddy and 
Brighteyes Pigg/’ and there will be in it some 
pictures of them doing all sorts of funny things, 
such as rolling down hill inside a cabbage, and 
getting lost in a tin can. 

So I’ll say good-night now, as I know the sand 
man must have been around, for you’re sleepy, 
and I hope you will like the guinea pig book. 













• N 


r < 




\ ' / 






'f> -Vi’l . ; 



r*'* - * • . 



. « 

%. 


o 


• f 


r'- 

ad . >«.' 




' » ' ■ > *11 
■ T j>;p‘ 

o- ^'V ’ 





4 '' 

i 




I ' 


i s ' 
. "I 


, I 


. . % 


*■ :'\i 
‘ ; tV 





V . * . 


/ - 


.V 




• t . 
1 ‘ 


V 


V 



» • 

• ^.».d 4 

% m 



4 . 


« 




« 

I 


♦ 






t ♦ 



\ 

i 

* > 


4 


• I 



f 


I 






# 





. ► 



I 




t 







